Fire Safety Legislation
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005:
On the 1st October 2006, the fire safety regulations changed. The new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 emphasises the importance of prevention of fires and the reduction of risk; therefore making it the property owner’s responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone who uses or visits their premises and the immediate vicinity of the building to ensure the risk of any fire spreading to near buildings is reduced.
All premises with 5 or more employees (with a few exceptions, however volunteers are not excluded) must have a Fire Risk Assessment.
Furthermore, a written Emergency Plan must also be produced to ensure the safe evacuation of everyone from the building, including visitors, contractors and people with any disability who may be vulnerable and particularly at risk during a fire or other emergency. (People with disabilities will require a written PEEP - Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan)
If you have recently received an Enforcement Notice after a visit from a fire inspector, we will be happy to assist you ensuring that you are fully compliant; preventing any further action by the fire authority.
The premises fire safety must also be properly managed and will include:
- Weekly testing of the fire alarm and recording the results
- Testing of the emergency lighting and recording the results
- All fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems are serviced and maintained annually, with a certificate issued as evidence
- A statutory evacuation of the building is carried out periodically to ensure everyone can exit the building within two and a half minutes (2m30s) and that anyone with a disability will be assisted from the building without using a lift The regulations state that it is the responsibility of the employer or the person who has control of the building to organise the evacuation drills.
Compliance with this order is enforced by the local fire authority (LFEPA) London Fire Brigade. There is a fire safety team in each of the 32 London boroughs, totaling 200 fire inspectors across London. See www.london-fire.gov.uk for more information.
If you need any assistance with any of the aforementioned requirements, do not hesitate to contact us
