Heralding the implementation of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order in October, the government has published seven of the 11 guides for businesses and other organisations. The guides are aimed at enabling a ‘responsible person,’ with limited training or experience, to carry out a fire risk assessment.
The guides so far published are for offices and shops; factories and warehouses; sleeping accommodation; educational premises; small and medium places of assembly; large places of assembly; and theatres and cinemas.
Earlier this year, the implementation of the RRO was put back from the planned 1 April date because of delays in producing the guides. According to the the Department of Communities and Local Government, the campaign to publicise the new fire safety regime will step up a gear in August and September, but it was unable to provide FSE with details.
A DCLG spokeswoman did confirm the implementation on 1 October would be wholesale, and there would be no ‘grace’ period after then. “There are steps that businesses have to take beforehand, but in most cases they are simple ones,” she said.
An ‘entry-level’ booklet aimed at giving practical fire safety advice to small and medium size businesses is also available.
The remaining guides to be published cover residential care homes; healthcare premises; outdoor events; and transport premises and facilities.
