How To Ensure Your Building Meets Fire Safety Regulations
Fire safety regulations are essential for preventing fires and safely dealing with them. Ensuring you follow all regulations is crucial to the safety of residents and employees. Fire safety regulations cover workplaces and residential premises, and following the Grenfell fire, new legislation has improved safety measures and clarified fire safety requirements concerning high-rise properties. In this guide, we will look at the core fire safety regulations and what is required of you to remain compliant.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO)
General fire safety in England and Wales is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO). (For Scotland, general fire safety requirements are covered by Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.) Local fire authorities typically enforce fire and safety legislation. However, for construction sites (and ships under construction or undergoing repair), the regulations are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The Fire Safety Order 2005 provides regulations regarding several areas of fire safety, including
Risk assessments
Firefighting and detection
Emergency routes and exits
Fire safety training
Fire Risk Assessments
Fire risk assessments are essential to fire safety and are required by the Fire Safety Order 2005. Government guidance breaks fire risk assessments into five steps;
Identifying fire hazards.
Identifying people at risk
Evaluating, removing and reducing risks
Recording findings, preparing an emergency plan and providing training
Regularly reviewing and updating the fire risk assessment
Someone with sufficient training and fire safety knowledge must conduct all fire risk assessments.
Fire Detection and Fire Fighting
Although you must take every precaution to prevent fires, you must also be prepared in the event of a fire. It is required for suitable fire detection systems such as smoke detectors and fire alarms to be installed. The responsible person must ensure firefighting equipment is provided. Non-automatic fire fighting equipment should be easy to access and operate and be indicated by appropriate signage.
The responsible persons must also nominate competent persons to implement firefighting measures, ensuring they receive adequate training and equipment. It is also the responsible person's duty to contact or arrange contact with external emergency services concerning firefighting, first aid and emergency medical care, and rescue work.
Fire Exits and Evacuations
The FSO 2005 also highlights several duties surrounding emergency exits. In line with the Fire Safety Order, responsible persons must ensure exits and routes to exits from the premises are kept clear at all times. Emergency routes must be as direct as possible and provide the quickest and safest evacuation.
Emergency exit doors are required to open in the direction of escape, and revolving and sliding doors should not be intended for use as emergency exits. Furthermore, emergency exits must be indicated with signs and provided with emergency lighting where required. Emergency exit doors should not be locked or fastened so they cannot be opened immediately and easily.
Fire Safety Training
Employers are responsible for fire safety training. They must ensure employees are adequately trained when they are first employed and that training remains updated if their responsibilities change. If an employee's system of work changes or they are exposed to new equipment or technology, they must also be fully trained to do so safely with regard to fire safety.
Fire safety training must include instructions on appropriate precautions for protecting themselves and other people on the premises. Training must address risks identified in the risk assessment and be updated to include new or changing risks as they occur.
The Fire Safety Act 2021
In the wake of the Grenfell fire disaster, the Fire Safety Order 2005 was updated through the Fire Safety Act 2021. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarifies the scope of the FSO 2005 and highlights the following areas;
The building's structure
External walls
Cladding and balconies
Individual flat entrance doors
Common areas of multi-occupied residential buildings
The regulations in the Fire Safety Act apply to these areas and should be considered in fire risk assessments.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
With the introduction of the Fire Safety Regulations 2022, which come into effect on 23rd January 2023, responsible persons will have new responsibilities. The new regulation focuses on high-rise residential buildings (defined as any multi-occupied residential building of more than 18 metres tall or 7 storeys). It introduces new responsibilities for building owners and managers under the FSO 2005.
The expanded list of responsibilities includes the following:
Sharing information about the building's external wall systems with local fire and rescue services.
Sharing building floor plans with local fire and rescue services.
Store the name and contact details of a Uk responsible person, hard copies of the building's floor plans, and a single-page orientation plan in a secure information box made accessible to firefighters.
Establish monthly checks of lifts and firefighting equipment.
Update local fire and rescue services if a lift used by firefighters or firefighting equipment is out of order for more than 24 hours.
Install wayfinding signage which is visible in low-light conditions.
Fire Safety Services
At SWL, we provide a range of fire safety services to help you comply with Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. We provide Fire Safety Order-compliant fire risk assessments and service and install fire alarms, fire doors, and fire safety equipment. We can also help you meet your training requirements with fire warden training and certification. View our full range of fire safety services or speak with a fire safety expert to learn more.