Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

What is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005?

It replaces most fire safety legislation with one single Order. It means that any person who has some level of control in premises must take reasonable steps to reduce risk from fire and make sure people can safely escape if there is a fire.

Where does this Order apply?

The order applies to virtually all premises and covers nearly every type of building, structure and open space.

For example, it applies to:

Offices and shops,
Premises that provide care, including care homes and hospitals,
Community halls, places of worship and other community premises,
The shared areas of properties several households live in,
Pubs, clubs and restaurants,
Schools and sports centres,
Tents and marquees,
Factories and warehouses.

What are the main rules under the Order ?

Carry out a fire-risk assessment identifying any possible dangers and risks,
Consider who may be especially at risk,
Get rid of or reduce the risk from fire as far as is reasonably possible and provide general fire precautions to deal with any possible risk left,
Take other measures to make sure there is protection if flammable or explosive materials are used or stored,
Create a plan to deal with any emergency and, in most cases, keep a record of your findings,
Review your findings when necessary.

Who is responsible for meeting the Order?

Under the order, anyone who has control of premises or anyone who has a degree of control over certain areas or systems may be a “responsible person”, for example it may be:

The employer, if the workplace is to any extent under his/her control and, somebody whom the staff may report to, however,

“The responsible person can be manager, owner or employer this will depend on the arrangements for operational control of the particular premise”.

How do I comply with this?

If you are the responsible person, you can do the above work yourself, delegate the task, or engage a fire advisor, to carry out a fire risk assessment.

Although the task can be passed on the responsibility still stays with you as the responsible person.

Fire safety risk assessment

There are five steps to a Fire risk assessment these are:

Identify fire hazards,
Identify people at risk,
Evaluate, remove or reduce, and protect from risk,
Record, plan, inform, instruct, and train,
Review.

The information above has been provided by STK Fire and Risk Management Ltd, specialists in tailored management support, Fire Safety and Health and Safety.

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