The Fire Regulations
Fire precautions legislation deals with general fire precautions. These include:
- means of detection and giving warning in case of fire
- the provision of means of escape
- means of fighting fire
- the training of staff in fire safety.
The Fire Regulations also include a requirement to undertake an assessment of the fire risks. (In this guide, the term 'fire risk' collectively describes both the risk of fire occurring and the risk to people in the event of fire.)
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and regulations made under
it, covers the provision of process fire precautions which are intended
to prevent the outbreak of a fire or minimise the consequences should
one occur. Matters falling within the scope of the Act include the
storage of flammable materials, the control of flammable vapours,
standards of housekeeping, safe systems of work, the control of sources
of ignition and the provision of appropriate training. These
precautions are enforced by inspectors from the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) or the local authority.
Between
them, the Fire Regulations and the Management of Health and Safety at
Work Regulations 1992 (as amended) require you to:
- carry out a fire risk assessment of your workplace (you must consider all your employees and all other people who may be affected by a fire in the workplace and you are required to make adequate provision for any disabled people with special needs who use or may be present at your premises)
- identify the significant findings of the risk assessment and the details of anyone who might be especially at risk in case of fire (these must be recorded if you employ more than five people)
- provide and maintain such fire precautions as are necessary to safeguard those who use your workplace
- provide information, instruction and training to your employees about the fire precautions in your workplace.
The risk assessment will help you decide the nature and extent of the general and process fire precautions which you need to provide.
There are six other legal duties you need to know:
- Where it is necessary to safeguard the safety of your employees, you must nominate people to undertake any special roles which are required under your emergency plan (you can nominate yourself for this purpose).
- You must consult your employees (or their elected representatives or appointed trade union safety representatives) about the nomination of people to carry out particular roles in connection with fire safety and about proposals for improving the fire precautions.
- You must inform other employers who also have workplaces in the building of any significant risks you find which might affect the safety of their employees - and co-operate with them about the measures proposed to reduce/control those risks.
- If you are not an employer but have any control of premises which contain more than one workplace, you are also responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the Fire Regulations are complied with in those parts you have control over.
- You must establish a suitable means of contacting the emergency services, and ensure that they can be called easily.
- The law requires your employees to co-operate with you to ensure the workplace is safe from fire and its effects, and not to do anything which will place themselves or other people at risk. In some workplaces you may need to apply for a fire certificate, a licence, or other form of approval before using the workplace.
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