The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (officially listed as ''The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 S.I. 2005 No. 1541'') is a
statutory instrument
In many countries, a statutory instrument is a form of delegated legislation.
United Kingdom
Statutory instruments are the principal form of delegated or secondary legislation in the United Kingdom.
National government
Statutory instrument ...
applicable in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The Order places the responsibility on individuals within an organisation to carry out risk assessments to identify, manage and reduce the risk of fire. The Order was made into law on 7 June 2005 and came into force on 1 October 2006.
Guidance for businesses is available in the form of 16 government-published documents, with general guidance, a 5-Step Checklist and 12 documents pertaining specifically to a particular type of business premises. On 5 January 2016, responsibility for fire and rescue policy transferred from the
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, local government ...
to the
Home Office, who then became responsible for the guidance. The guidance does not normally apply to domestic premises.
Prior to the Order, under the
Fire Precautions Act 1971
The history of fire safety legislation in the United Kingdom formally covers the period from the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 but is founded in the history of such legislation in England and Wales, and Sco ...
, all public and commercial buildings, and all non-single-household domestic dwellings (apart from
houses in multiple occupation
A house in multiple occupation (HMO), or a house of multiple occupancy, is a British English term which refers to residential properties where ‘common areas’ exist and are shared by more than one household.
Most HMOs have been subdivided from ...
), were required to hold a valid
fire safety certificate issued annually after an inspection by the Fire Service. This regime was replaced with assessment by third-party fire-risk assessors contracted by building owners and landlords, with no mandated timeframe for checks, and no mandated professional qualifications.
In 2013, the Fire Service found that 14% of risk assessments were non-compliant with the law, and in 2018 it was found that 500 out of 800 of the UK's fire risk assessors were not registered with accredited bodies.
Guides
The guides available are:
*Do you have paying guests?
*Fire safety risk assessment: animal premises and stables
*Fire safety risk assessment: means of escape for disabled people
*Fire safety risk assessment: open-air events and venues
*Fire safety risk assessment: transport premises and facilities
*Fire safety risk assessment: healthcare premises
*Fire safety risk assessment: residential care premises
*Fire safety risk assessment: theatres, cinemas and similar premises
*Making your premises safe from fire
*Fire safety risk assessment: 5-step checklist
*Fire safety risk assessment: factories and warehouses
*Fire safety risk assessment: large places of assembly
*Fire safety risk assessment: small and medium places of assembly
*Fire safety risk assessment: educational premises
*Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation
*Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops
See also
*
Fire services in the United Kingdom
The fire services in the United Kingdom operate under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
Emergency cover is provided by over fifty agencies. These are officially known as a ...
References
{{Reflist
5
Fire Safety Risk Assessment UKaccessed 20 September 2022
External links
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Fire and rescue in the United Kingdom
Statutory Instruments of the United Kingdom
2005 in British law
Fire protection