fire safety in commercial premises
New user friendly guidance
14 July 2011
Every year people die or are seriously injured as a result of
fires in non-domestic properties. Besides the human risk, fire can
cost UK business millions of pounds due to property damage, fines,
compensation, and insurance premiums.
Fire safety regulations apply to virtually all non-domestic
premises in England and Wales as well as the communal parts of
blocks of flats or HMOs (houses of multiple occupancy).
All employers or any person who has control over premises or
activities that take place on premises; have responsibilities under
fire safety legislation.
A failure to comply with fire safety legislation can lead to
significant legal action and fines, costs and/or imprisonment, as
can be seen in the following examples:
- Tesco was fined £95,000 in April 2010 and ordered to pay over
£24,000 in relation to five breaches of fire safety
legislation
- the Co-operative Group was fined over £200,000 in April 2010
following fire safety breaches at one of its stores
- high street retailer New Look has been fined £400,000 and
ordered to pay £136,052 in costs for two breaches of fire safety
legislation
- Southern Cross Healthcare Limited, a leading provider of care
homes, was ordered to pay out £100,000 for inadequate fire safety
standards at one of its homes
- hotel management company Mill House Inns Trading Ltd, was fined
£25,000 plus £11,000 costs following breaches of fire safety laws
at a hotel.
It is therefore essential to ensure that responsibilities under
fire safety legislation are met and that businesses are
successfully managing fire safety in commercial premises.
The Fire Industry Association (FIA) has issued a ‘best practice’
guide to fire safety in commercial premises in order to clarify
some of the confusion remaining in relation to this area.
It is described as a ‘user friendly document’ giving helpful
indications as to how the responsible person should interpret fire
safety legislation and how to best prepare fire risk assessments in
relation to your premises.
The following topics are included within the guidance;
- premises affected – the responsible person (RP)
- the fire risk assessment
- steps to completing the fire risk assessment
- protective measures
- equipment and facilities
- recording, planning, informing, instructing and training
- enforcement
The guidance can be downloaded from the FIA website by clicking here.
Browne Jacobson specialises in fire safety, enforcement and
guidance in relation to this area of legislation. Should you
require advice or assistance in relation to any aspect of fire
safety compliance, please contact our health
and safety team who will be happy to discuss your requirements
with you.
The content of this bulletin is provided for the purposes of
general interest and information. It contains only brief summaries
of aspects of the subject matter and does not provide comprehensive
statements of the law. It does not constitute legal advice and does
not provide a substitute for it.