Fire safety for businesses and organisations
The Regulatory
Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) (external link) came into
effect in October 2006 and replaced over 70 pieces of fire safety
law.
The FSO serves two purposes.
- Reform the law relating to fire safety in non-domestic
premises.
- Create one simple 'fire regime' applying to all workplaces and
non-domestic premises.
The Order replaces 'Fire Certification under the Fire Precautions
Act 1971' with a general duty on a responsible person to:
- ensure the safety of all relevant persons within their
premises
- ensure the safety of all other persons who may be affected by
fire at their premises
- carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and
act on the significant findings.
The Order amends or repeals other primary legislation concerning
fire safety.
The law applies to you if you are:
- responsible for business premises
- an employer or self-employed with business premises
- responsible for a part of a 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
You can get basic fire
safety advice that will help your business comply with
current legislation and prepare you to meet the requirements of
future legislation.
Business Continuity
Businesses and organisations need to consider whether they could
still operate following an incident that may directly, or
indirectly, affect them, such as flooding or a fire.
More information on Business Continuity can be found at the
Cumbria Resilience
website