Who is responsible for managing Fire Safety?

Everyone is responsible for fire safety in the workplace. An employer, employee, supervisor, or manager must ensure that all employees are aware of the fire evacuation procedures and know how to use them.

Find out whether you are a Responsible Person or Duty Holder under the Fire Safety Order

You’re responsible for fire safety in business or other non-domestic premises if you’re:

an employer
the owner
the landlord
an occupier
anyone else with control of the premises, for example a facilities manager, building manager, managing agent or risk assessor

You’re known as the ‘responsible person’. If there’s more than one responsible person, you have to work together to meet your responsibilities.

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The Fire Safety Order (FSO) applies to all non-domestic premises in England and Wales

Building owners

You must ensure that the premises are equipped to an appropriate level, with means of escape (ensuring these can be safely used), means of detecting fire and giving warning in the event of fire, means of fighting fires, and arrangements for action to be taken in the event of fire.

Employers

You must carry out (and review regularly) a fire safety risk assessment to identify the potential for fire to occur in the workplace and cause harm to employees and persons in, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises.

Occupiers

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the owner or occupier of a premises, ‘The Responsible Person’ must carry out or appoint a competent person to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.

Responsible person

As the responsible person you must carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment of the premises. This will identify what you need to do to prevent fire and keep people safe.

What Fire Safety Requirements Apply

As an employer, landlord or responsible person of premises you have certain legal responsibilities regarding fire safety to relevant persons. These may be your employees, customers, tenants or visitors.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 imposes a duty on you to carry out a fire risk assessment.

The legislation applies to you if you are:

Responsible for a business premises, block of flats or a house of multiple occupation
Licensed property
An employer
Charity or voluntary organisation
Contractor with control over a premise

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My Legal Responsibilities

While there is no legal requirement to appoint a fire safety specialist. You may be able to assess your own premises using guidance documents that have been produced by the government department to assist you.

There is however a legal requirement for the fire risk assessment to be “suitable and sufficient”. For many premises this may require the assistance of a competent fire risk assessor. If you do appoint a specialist to assist you we recommend that you check that they are appropriately qualified and on approved register of fire risk assessors.

CWB Fire Safety Consultants Ltd. was established by Phil Barry B.Sc.M.I.Fire.E.DipFDin 2006 and Phil is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers. We are on their approved register of fire risk assessors at www.ife.org.uk.

We have carried out fire risk assessments for many satisfied clients. Our systems of work have been scrutinised by enforcing authorities and meet statutory requirements. All our team have relevant qualifications and experience to demonstrate competence in their field. Our senior consultants have relevant fire safety degrees.

We offer a reliable professional consultancy service, contact us for free impartial advice.