Following the devastating fires at Lakanal House in 2009 and Grenfell Tower in 2017, in which 72 people lost their lives, the Government took action to strengthen the UK’s fire safety regulations.
The Fire Safety Act of 2021 has improved existing laws to reduce fire risks, driven greater accountability and increased protection for thousands of residents living in flats and multi-occupancy buildings across the country. But what does the act cover, and what does it mean for your organisation?
What does the Fire Safety Act 2021 cover?
The Fire Safety Act 2021 includes important clarifications for multi-occupied residential buildings (two or more domestic premises), like apartment blocks. This has made landlords responsible for the fire safety of a building’s structure, including its external building walls, cladding, windows, balconies and doors into communal areas.
In the past, certain aspects of fire safety responsibility have been seen as unclear, or even unhelpful. These grey areas have now been eliminated, ensuring landlords (and/or the responsible person) now have a much better understanding of their obligations.
Introduction of the Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool
To complement and support the act’s new measures, the Home Office Task and Finish Group introduced the FRA Prioritisation Tool. This provides weighted questions that help to guide a fire risk assessment and will go on to list the most important priorities for your building.
With these details, you’ll be able to take the necessary steps to manage any risks.
What’s a responsible person?
In fire safety, a responsible person is someone who looks after a non-domestic
building. Being ‘responsible’ in this context means taking control when it comes to identifying and reducing risks, as well as overseeing essential fire safety precautions.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 demands that a responsible person takes all steps possible to reduce the risk of fire and puts measures in place for efficient evacuation.
For high-rise residential buildings (7+ stories or 18+ meters, with 2+ units), ‘accountable persons’ and the ‘principal accountable person’ are responsible for managing fire and structural safety risks.
For safety in apartments and flats, a ‘Stay Put’ policy would be implemented. If a fire breaks out, residents are advised to stay in their flat with doors and windows closed unless the fire is inside their own flat or in a common area.
Ultimately, the responsible and accountable person is tasked with protecting anyone who works, lives in or visits your premises from fire hazards, which means they’re also responsible for completing and regularly reviewing fire risk assessments.
Further safety regulations
Following this act, additional regulations were brought into force, including the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the Building Safety Bill to further enhance safety in residential buildings.
These regulations work alongside the Fire Safety Act 2021 to improve safety standards and protect residents.
Both the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 paved the way for amendments to RRFSO 200O5 to include the new provisions which must be followed so that a suitable and sufficient FRA is delivered.
For more help understanding the impact of the Fire Safety Act 2021, or to get compliance advice from a trusted fire safety and security contractor, simply contact our experts today.
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