1 st October 2006 saw the introduction of new government regulations which affect virtually every building individual in England & Wales .
Rather worryingly a large proportion of the public are unaware of these new laws leaving themselves innocently open for prosecution which could lead to unlimited fines and up to two years in jail.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 was a complete overhaul of the previous fire safety legislation which replaced it with one simpler order. The new regulations apply to virtually all commercial and residential premises and cover nearly every type of building, structure and open space in England & Wales making it mandatory for fire risk assessments to be carried out.
Local fire authorities enforce the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and although it is law, the majority of ‘responsible persons' who hold some level of control at the affected premises are unaware of their duties in reducing the risk of fire and their responsibility of ensuring the safety of others.
Insurance companies have also stated that should there be an incident and a claim made where a fire risk assessment has not been carried out and the findings not acted upon, then they may reserve the right to invalidate the insurance policy.
Individuals can carry out their own fire risk assessments, however the RRO advises recommends that due to the specialist knowledge required, a professionally competent person should be employed.
Brighton Fire Alarms were one of the first companies in Sussex to offer fire risk assessments and now employs a large dedicated team of qualified fire risk assessors to keep up with the demands of this rapidly expanding department.
