Fire safety legislation: 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.
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 risk assessment checklist
Guidance for evacuating disabled persons
Guidance for residential buildings under the Fire Safety Order
Guidance for non-domestic premises
- Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops
- Fire safety: guidance for the hospitality industry
- Fire safety risk assessment: open-air events and venues
- Fire safety risk assessment: transport premises and facilities
- Fire safety risk assessment: factories and warehouses
- Fire safety risk assessment: theatres, cinemas and similar premises
- Fire safety risk assessment: educational premises