Fire Safety Reform Programme Update

The Home Office has released a new update on the fire safety reform programme, which covers the following:

• Upcoming changes to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

• Monitoring the impact of our reforms to-date

• Promoting our fire safety reforms

• Supporting our work on Fire Risk Assessor capacity and capability

• An update on our Fire Safety Guidance Programme

Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) makes a number of amendments

to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) to improve fire safety in all

buildings regulated by the FSO.

The changes, which come into force on 1 October 2023, include a new legal requirements as described below:

• all Responsible Persons to record their fire risk assessment in full (previously only the significant findings needed to be recorded and only in specific circumstances)

• all Responsible Persons to record the identity of the individual (their name and/or if applicable, their organisation) engaged by them to undertake and/or review a fire risk assessment

• all Responsible Persons to record their fire safety arrangements (demonstrating how fire safety is managed in their premises)

• all Responsible Persons to record (and as necessary update) their contact information, including a UK based address, and share this with other Responsible Persons and residents of multioccupied residential premises where applicable

• all Responsible Persons to take reasonably practicable steps to ascertain the existence of other Responsible Persons and, where applicable, Accountable Persons (a new legal entity made under the Building Safety Act 2022 in the case of higher-risk residential buildings) who share or have duties in respect of the same premises, and to identify themselves to said persons

• for the departing Responsible Person to share all ‘relevant fire safety information’ with the incoming Responsible Person

• all Responsible Persons in a building containing two or more sets of domestic premises to provide residents with relevant fire safety information in a format that is easily understood by the residents

• an increase in the level of fine that can be issued for offences in relation to the intentionally deceptive impersonation of a fire inspector, failure to comply (without reasonable excuse) with specific requirements imposed by a fire inspector (such as by not providing a copy of the fire risk assessment when requested), and failure to comply with requirements relating to the installation of luminous tube signs to the maximum possible, bringing them into line with all other offences under the FSO

• a new legal provision that in court proceedings for alleged breaches of the Fire Safety Order, compliance with or deviation from guidance issued under Article 50 may be relied upon as tending to establish whether or not there was a breach of the Fire Safety Order.

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FIRE SAFETY REFORM PROGRAMME UPDATE

Update on Fire Safety Guidance