Fire Risk Support for Safer Properties: Ensuring Compliance with UK Fire Safety Law

Residential fire safety requires landlords, particularly those running HMOs, and freeholders to conduct regular fire risk assessments under HHSRS, HMO Management Regulations 2006/2007, and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, now encompassing structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors. Key new legislation affecting them is the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022, including full recording and information sharing with residents in multi-occupied buildings. Key aspects include compartmentation with fire doors and fire-stopping, working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms as mandated by the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, clear escape routes, and sometimes emergency lighting. Compliance with these and other regulations is crucial to protect tenants and avoid penalties.

Commercial (including workplace) fire safety emphasises formal emergency planning and thorough staff training, its consideration of specific workplace hazards like dangerous substances, and differences between different types of workplaces, e.g office versus a factory. Below is a summarised list of core differences. However, Yuno is available to support with fire safety risk assessments in the workplace should you need it.

Additional items you will need to consider

• Responsible Person and Fire Marshal: In the workplace, the 'Responsible Person' is explicitly designated to ensure that Fire Risk Assessments and all fire safety actions are up to date and compliant. Typically, there is a designated employee as a 'fire marshal', who is responsible for fire safety and evacuation from the premises.
• Assessment Scope: Workplace assessments must be carried out and consider: emergency routes and exits, fire detection and warning systems, fire fighting equipment, the removal or safe storage of dangerous substances, an emergency fire evacuation plan, the needs of vulnerable people, providing information to employees, and staff fire safety training.
• Emergency Planning and Training: Workplace fire safety places a strong emphasis on preparing a formal emergency plan and providing comprehensive fire safety training to staff.
• Fire Fighting Equipment: In the workplace, employees have to be aware of and trained in fire, and some are required to use, if they feel safe to do so, fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets.
• Dangerous Substances: Workplace assessments explicitly require consideration of the removal or safe storage of dangerous substances, which is less likely to be required in residential requirements.
• Guidance for Different Commercial Uses: Different types of commercial premises, such as offices and factories, require specific risk assessment guides.
• Information Provision: While both residential and commercial fire safety responsibilities require providing information, workplace safety emphasises providing information to employees and other people on the premises, while residential safety has specific requirements for landlords to provide residents with relevant fire safety information in an easily understood format.