Fire safety: guidance for those with legal duties

This collection brings together relevant documents relating to fire safety law and provides guidance to anyone who has a legal duty for fire safety in a relevant building to meet those duties. Complisafe Health and Safety Consultants can advise on and produce fire risk assessments, fire safety procedures, fire training and fire safety management. Our Fire Risk Assessors are qualified and competent with years of experience in Fire Risk Assessment completion and ongoing support and advice.

Contents

1. Legislative guidance
2. Fire risk assessment checklist
3. Guidance for evacuating disabled persons
4. Guidance for fire safety in small premises
5. Guidance for residential buildings under the Fire Safety Order
6. Guidance for non-domestic premises
7. Guidance for livestock premises
8. Guidance for workplaces where people sleep
9. Guidance for places of assembly

Fire Safety Law

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) is the main piece of legislation governing fire safety in buildings in England and Wales. The FSO applies to all workplaces and the common parts of buildings containing two or more domestic premises. It places legal duties on anyone in control of these premises (the Responsible Person – usually the owner or landlord) to undertake a fire risk assessment and put in place and maintain general fire precautions.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the external walls, flat entrance doors and structure of buildings are all covered by the FSO and must be accounted for in fire risk assessments.

Find out whether you are a Responsible Person under the Fire Safety Order and what responsibilities you may have.

Guidance

If you have identified that you are Responsible Person or someone with duties under fire safety legislation the following guides will help you to:

• understand what you need to do to comply with fire safety law;
• carry out and review a fire risk assessment; and
• identify the general fire precautions you need to put in place and maintain

As well as the publications below, fire safety advice is also available in:

• Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing produced by the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS)
• Fire safety in construction produced by the Health and Safety Executive

Legislative guidance

• Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire door guidance
  • 28 February 2023
  • Guidance
• Fire Safety Act – addendum
  • 18 May 2022
  • Guidance
• Check your fire safety responsibilities under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
  • 13 December 2022
  • Guidance

Fire risk assessment checklist

• Fire safety risk assessment: 5-step checklist
  • 30 March 2023
  • Guidance

Guidance for evacuating disabled persons

• Fire safety risk assessment: means of escape for disabled people
  • 29 March 2007
  • Guidance

Guidance for fire safety in small premises

• Making your small block of flats safe from fire
  • 30 March 2023
  • Guidance
• Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire
  • 30 March 2023
  • Guidance
• Making your small non-domestic premises safe from fire
  • 30 March 2023
  • Guidance

Guidance for residential buildings under the Fire Safety Order

• Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats
  • 11 January 2023
  • Guidance

Guidance for non-domestic premises

• Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops
  • 5 June 2006
  • Guidance
• Fire safety risk assessment: open-air events and venues
  • 8 March 2007
  • Guidance
• Fire safety risk assessment: transport premises and facilities
  • 12 February 2007
  • Guidance
• Fire safety risk assessment: factories and warehouses
  • 5 June 2006
  • Guidance
• Fire safety risk assessment: theatres, cinemas and similar premises
  • 8 June 2006
  • Guidance
• Fire safety risk assessment: educational premises
  • 5 June 2006
  • Guidance

Guidance for livestock premises

• Fire safety risk assessment: animal premises and stables
  • 23 October 2007
  • Guidance

Guidance for workplaces where people sleep

• Fire safety risk assessment: residential care premises
  • 6 July 2006
  • Guidance
• Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation
  • 13 December 2012
  • Guidance
• Fire safety risk assessment: healthcare premises
  • 25 September 2006
  • Guidance

Guidance for places of assembly

• Fire safety risk assessment: large places of assembly
  • 5 June 2006
  • Guidance
• Fire safety risk assessment: small and medium places of assembly
  • 5 June 2006
  • Guidance

Published 21 December 2022
Last updated 30 March 2023 + show all updates