Current fire safety Laws detail employers and
others' responsibilities for people's safety if
there is an out break of fire. At present there
are a number of pieces of legislation that contain
fire safety provisions, which makes it difficult
for people to understand what is or isn't applicable
to them and their businesses in respect of complying
with the Law.
The main focus on the new Law will still be toward
the occupants safety. However. It will also help
move from a more prescriptive regime, where the
fire authority determine the fire precautions
to be provided, to a fire risk assessment based
approach where the person responsible for the
premises must decide how to address the risk identified,
while meeting certain criteria.
By adopting a risk assessment, employers and
others will need to look at how to prevent a fire
from occurring in the first instance, by removing
or reducing hazards and risks (potential ignition
sources) and then at the precautions to ensure
that people are adequately protected should a
fire still to occur.
This new Law will apply to virtually all non-domestic
properties, including voluntary organizations
and will be subject to monitoring and, where appropriate,
enforcement by the local authority fire services.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
has now been agreed by Parliament and should be
taken forward subject to some amendments. Article
1 and 51(1)(a) shall come into force on the day
after the day on which the Order is made with
the remaining provisions coming into force in
April 2006.
