Fire Risk Assessment and Compliance Audit
The Regulatory Reform (Fire & Safety) Order 2005 and the Management of Health & Safety in the Workplace Regulations 1999 requires the ‘Responsible Person’ to carry out “suitable and sufficient” fire risk assessment in their workplaces, commercial and residential block management properties where common parts exist.
The new Fire Safety Act 2021 enhances fire safety regulations in multi-occupied residential buildings, clarifying responsibilities for property owners and managers to ensure comprehensive fire risk management. It requires Responsible Persons of multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises to update their fire risk assessment to include an assessment of the building’s structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduce new duties under the Fire Safety Order for building owners or managers (Responsible Persons) These Regulations apply to all buildings in England and Wales that comprise two or more domestic premises (including the residential parts of mixed-use buildings) although there are more requirements depending on the height as explained in this guide. These buildings are, principally, blocks of flats (whether purpose-built or converted from another type of building, such as a house or office building), but also include blocks used for student accommodation.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations impose duties on you if you are the Responsible Person for any building which:
- Contains two or more sets of domestic premises
- Contains common parts through which residents would need to evacuate in the case of an emergency
- Parts of the building that are used in common by the residents of two or more domestic premises (e.g. communal corridors and stairways)
- Flat entrance doors
- The walls and floors that separate any domestic premises from other domestic premises, plant rooms, etc, or from parts of the building that are used in common by the occupants of two or more domestic premises
- Plant rooms and other non-domestic areas of the building, such as tenant halls, offices, laundries, gymnasia and commercial premises
- External walls of the building, including doors or windows within an external wall, and attachments to an external wall (e.g. balconies).
Building Safety Act: Section 156
Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 amends the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, making significant changes to fire safety management. It strengthens the status of Article 50 guidance, allowing compliance or deviation from this guidance to be used in court proceedings regarding breaches of the Fire Safety Order. Additionally, it outlines new responsibilities for ‘Responsible Persons’ under the fire safety legislation.
To be compliant, every building owners or managers must be able to demonstrate the following:
- All fire risks have been assessed and the results recorded with written fire risk assessments.
- All fire risks have been assessed in compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Fire Safety Acts 2021, Fire Safety England Regulation 2022 and The Building Act 2022 Section 156.
- Records to show that firefighting equipment have been provided, properly maintained and regularly inspected and maintained.
- An Emergency Action Plan has been written, confirmed and published.
- Employees received fire training in the use of equipment and procedures in the event of fire.
- There are adequate means of fire detection, warning systems and escape routes in place to allow people to leave the building safely.
- Action plans have been formulated and signed off to indicate proposed completion dates and actual completion dates.
An experienced WaruSM consultant will visit your premises and provide you with independent and comprehensive fire risk assessments and compliance audit services at competitive rates. We don’t only offer advice; we carry out the risk assessment and monitor it for you if required.