The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO) became law on 1 October 2006.
Legally, you must comply.
After the Fire Scotland Act (2005) and the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (RRO) were passed, it became the responsibility of the relevant persons in charge of an establishment to take necessary steps to prevent and manage fire risk.
As an experienced fire safety consultancy, UniteSES is here to help you identify and address fire safety risks, improve general fire safety and carry out an effective fire safety risk assessment. Should you fail to follow regulations, you might incur a penalty.
Taking up the role of the responsible person or duty holder can be stressful. UniteSES will provide you with the peace of mind that the safety of people in your building is being correctly prioritised and that fire safety requirements are being abided to. We’ll guide you through the process from start to finish, so you can ensure compliance and avoid penalties.
What is the RRO?
The Fire Scotland Act came into being in February 2005. Shortly afterwards, the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (2005) became law in England and Wales on 1 October. If you are responsible for a non-domestic building, legally, you must comply with the regulations set out in this order.
Fire and rescue authorities no longer issue fire certificates, and those previously in force will have no legal status. The RRO replaces most fire safety legislation with a single new order.
It clarifies that any person who has some level of control in premises must take steps to reduce the risk from fire, consider how to contain a fire should one break out, and make sure people can safely escape if in the event of a fire.
When complying with this act, your first action is to conduct a thorough fire risk assessment for your premises.
Contracting services
We provide Fire solutions for Domestic, Commercial and Business Premises. We have offer a complete installation service which is backed up by our standard 1 year warranty. We also offer a competitive annual preventative maintenance package on all systems.
- 24 Hour Service, 365 Days a year call out.
- Emergency Service Response.
Who needs a Fire Risk Assessment?
Virtually all premises and nearly every building structure and open space type will require a fire risk assessment.
It may be your responsibility to complete a fire risk assessment if you’re:
- An employer
- The owner
- The landlord
- An occupier
What is a Fire Risk Assessment?
A good fire risk assessment does the following:
- Identifies fire hazards such as sources of ignition, fuel or oxygen
- Identifies all people at risk in and around the premises
- Evaluates the risk of a fire starting or the risk to people from a fire
- Removes or reduces fire hazards or risks to people from a fire
- Protects people by providing fire precautions
- Records any significant findings
- Prepares an emergency exit plan
- Provides training for staff and guests
- Informs and instructs any relevant people
Why would you need a Fire Risk Assessment?
Firstly, it’s simply best practice in keeping the people in your building safe. You have a duty of care to your employees or inhabitants to ensure their safety at all times.
Risk assessments provide the most thorough way of ensuring that all of the bases are covered in terms of fire prevention, and should the worst happen, there is a plan of action in place.
Secondly, as above, it’s simply the law. Penalties for failing to comply include hefty fines and even prison time.
What happens if I don’t have a Fire Risk Assessment?
Quite simply, failure to comply with regulations could end in loss of life, loss of property or massive damage.
Fire protection strategies
The main focus of your fire protection strategy should be to prevent fire. Should a fire accidentally break out, early automatic fire detection is essential. Every second saved through early warning facilities could make the difference to a site’s ability to recover from a fire without too much disruption.
All fire alarm designs should be based on a Fire Risk Assessment. This ensures that your choices regarding fire protection are informed and catered to your specific building.
Other protection strategies include:
- Smoke detectors for domestic installations to commercial
- Aspirator systems (Very early warning smoke detector aspirator – VESDA)
- Fire suppression systems (Inert gas FM200 Co2 wet chemical agents)
At UniteSES, we provide the best standard of RRO compliant alarm systems available on the market. Not only do we provide quality products and installation, but we are here to help talk you through your fire risk assessment and advise you on the best course of action for your building.
We do the hard work for you
Regulations can be confusing to follow, and it’s hard to know what is going to be effective for your circumstances. Our team at UniteSES is here to walk you through the process step by step and help relieve some of the stress associated with running a building.
