All your fire safety needs managed

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

 Summary of most relevant sections

Section 8 – Take precautions as will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of any persons in or around the premises.

Section 9 – Make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions needed to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed by or under this Order.

Section 10 – Where the responsible person implements any preventive and protective measures he must do so on the basis of the principles: (a)  avoiding risks; (b) evaluating the risks which cannot be avoided; (c)  combating the risks at source; (d) adapting to technical progress; (e) replacing the dangerous by the non-dangerous or less dangerous; (f) developing a coherent overall prevention policy which covers technology, organisation of work and the influence of factors relating to the working environment; (g) giving collective protective measures priority over individual protective measures; (h)  giving appropriate instructions to employees.

Section 11 – make and give effect to such arrangements as are appropriate, having regard to the size of his undertaking and the nature of its activities, for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of the preventive and protective measures.

Section 12 – Where a dangerous substance is present in or on the premises, the responsible person must ensure that risk to relevant persons related to the presence of the substance is either eliminated or reduced so far as is reasonably practicable.

Section 13 – The premises are, to the extent that it is appropriate, equipped with appropriate fire- fighting equipment and with fire detectors and alarms.

Section 14 – Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons, the responsible person must ensure that routes to emergency exits from premises and the exits themselves are kept clear at all times.

Section 15 – Procedures for serious and imminent danger and for danger areas.

Section 16 – Additional emergency measures in respect of dangerous substances.

Section 17 – The premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided in respect of the premises are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.

Section 18 – The responsible person must appoint one or more competent persons to assist him in undertaking the preventive and protective measures.

Section 19 – The responsible person must provide his employees with comprehensible and relevant information on: (a) the risks to them identified by the risk assessment; (b) the preventive and protective measures; (c) the procedures and the measures referred to in article 15(1)(a); (d) the identities of those persons nominated or appointed by him; (e) the risks notified to him in accordance with article 22(1)(c).

Section 20 – The responsible person must ensure that the employer of any employees from an outside undertaking who are working in or on the premises is provided with comprehensible and relevant information on: (a) the risks to those employees; and (b) the preventive and protective measures taken by the responsible person.

 Section 21 – The responsible person must ensure that his employees are provided with adequate safety training: (a) at the time when they are first employed; and (b) on their being exposed to new or increased risks

The training must: (a) include suitable and sufficient instruction and training on the appropriate precautions and actions to be taken by the employee in order to safeguard himself and other relevant persons on the premises; (b) be repeated periodically where appropriate; (c) be adapted to take account of any new or changed risks to the safety of the employees concerned; (d) be provided in a manner appropriate to the risk identified by the risk assessment; and (e) take place during working hours.

 Section 22 –  Where two or more responsible persons share, or have duties in respect of, premises (whether on a temporary or a permanent basis) each such person must: (a) co-operate with the other responsible person concerned so far as is necessary to enable them to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on them by or under this Order; (b) (taking into account the nature of his activities) take all reasonable steps to co-ordinate the measures he takes to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on him by or under this Order with the measures the other responsible persons are taking to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on them by or under this Order; and (c) take all reasonable steps to inform the other responsible persons concerned of the risks to relevant persons arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking.

 Section 23 – Every employee must, while at work take reasonable care for the safety of himself and of other relevant persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work