Business Fire Safety Advice

The government is bringing about better regulation, by regulating only where necessary and in a manner that is more suited to the needs of modern business and commerce.

The Order, made under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001| replaces many of the references to fire safety in other legislation such as the Fire Precautions Act, Licensing Act and Housing Acts with a simple, single Order. It requires any person who exercises some level of control in premises to take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and ensure occupants can safely escape if a fire does occur.

In such premises achieving fire safety is often a matter of common sense but you will have to ensure that sufficient time is put aside to work through the necessary steps. In more complicated premises or those with a high life risk more expert help may be required.

To help you ensure your premises comply with the new legislation, an online self-assessment form is available|. This consists of a series of fire-safety related questions which should take no more than ten minutes to complete. At the end of the process, you will have the option to view your results and any suggestions for improvement that may be applicable by means of an online form which you can print or save for future reference.

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

For example:

The responsible person is required to:

• Carry out or nominate someone to carry out a fire risk assessment identifying the risks and hazards.
  
• Consider who may be especially at risk.
  
• Eliminate or reduce the risk from fire as far as is reasonably practical and provide general fire precautions to deal with any residual risk.
  
• Take additional measures to ensure fire safety where flammable or explosive materials are used or stored.
  
• Create a plan to deal with any emergency and, in most cases, document your findings.
  
• Review the findings as necessary