Since the tragic events of Grenfell in June 2017, organisations have been reviewing their Fire Safety processes and the validity of their Fire Risk Assessments. Under the following regulations the ultimate responsibility for the adequacy of fire risk assessment (s) rests with the responsible person or duty holder: -
- Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005 and Fire Safety Act 2021
- The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulation 2006, Scottish Fire Safety Regulations 2022
- The Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006
This legislation applies to all non-domestic premises, which are all workplaces and commercial premises, all premises to which the public have access to and the common parts (including external elevations) of blocks of flats and houses of multiple occupation (HMO’s). The Legislation applies to you if you are:
- responsible for business premises
- an employer or self-employed with business premises
- responsible for a part of dwelling where that part is solely used for business purposes
- a charity or voluntary organisation
- a contractor with a degree of control over any premises
- providing accommodation for paying guests
- landlord of block(s) of flats or HMO(s)
The responsible person or duty holder (which is normally a company or organisation rather than an individual person) 'make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed.’ A fire risk assessment assesses the competency of existing precautions and identifies any requirement for additional measures or equipment. The risk assessment must ensure the building is fitted with appropriate firefighting equipment, fire detectors and warning systems and that all users of the building can evacuate safely in the event of a fire.
The responsibility for the adequacy of the fire risk assessment rests with the responsible person. Best practice states fire risk assessors should be third party accredited and hold adequate public liability and professional indemnity insurance.
CIPFA Property has been accredited under the BAFE SP205 third party accreditation scheme to carry out Life Safety Fire Risk Assessments since 2018. We have carried out hundreds of fire risk assessments on leisure centres, schools, university buildings, offices, halls of residence and HMOs. Some of our recent clients include University of Chester, Unison and Aura Libraries and Leisure. We can assist you by carrying out fire safety risk assessment(s) on your premises and providing you with a risk assessment that meets current legislation and if required a comprehensive action plan.
Get in touch
For further information, an informal discussion, or a request for sample reports, please contact Jane Hughes:
t: +44 (0) 1244 394622