Changes to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Effective 1 October 2023.

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The primary legislation that came into force on 1 April 2006 that defines how fires safety should be managed in relevant buildings (non-domestic premises and the non-domestic parts of multi-occupied residential buildings) in England and Wales. Hence forth referred to as the Fire Safety Order.

Amending and related legislation to the Fire Safety Order:

The Fire Safety Act 2021 An Act to make provision about the application of the Fire Safety Order where a building contains two or more sets of domestic premises. It clarified that the external walls, flat entrance doors, and the structure of buildings are all covered by the Fire Safety Order, and must be accounted for in fire risk assessments.

The Building Safety Act 2022. Although the scope of this Act extends to many other areas other than fire safety, it made a number of significant amendments to the Fire Safety Order.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023, and implemented the majority of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, affecting both High-rise (over 18m) and Mid-rise (over 11m) Buildings. More info.

Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire doors. Further guidance to assist those with duties under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 to comply with Regulation 10, which makes requirements about fire doors in all buildings that contain two or more domestic premises and that contain common parts, through which residents would need to evacuate in a fire.

Links to relevant and related legislation and useful official guides.

The Check your responsibilities under the Fire Safety Regulations 2022.

Useful FSO Fact Sheets for owners, residents, and the designated responsible person.

Useful IFA and NFCC Guide on the contents and positioning of Property Information Boxes (PIBs).

Changes to the Fire Safety Order from 1 October 2023.

From 1 October 2023, the changes to the Fire Safety Order, brought about by the Building Safety Act 2022 came into force. These changes have introduced new fire safety requirements for building owners or managers (responsible person or persons) of all non-domestic premises and the non-domestic parts of multi-occupied residential buildings.

They include:

• The responsible person must record their completed fire risk assessment, the identity of the individual or organisation who conducted or reviewed it, and their fire safety arrangements.
• The responsible person must record and update their contact information, including a UK based address, and share it with other responsible persons and residents of multi-occupied residential premises where applicable.
• The responsible person must take reasonable steps to identify other responsible persons who share or have duties in respect of the same premises, and accountable persons (as defined by the BSA) for higher risk residential buildings) in relation to the premises, and then identify themselves to them.
• The departing responsible person(s) must share all relevant fire safety information with incoming responsible persons.
• For high-rise residential buildings (at least 18 metres in height or 7 or more storeys), the responsible person must also:
• Share electronically with their local fire and rescue service information about the building’s external wall system and provide them with electronic copies of floor plans and building plans for the building.
• Keep hard copies of the building’s floor plans, an orientation plan of the building, and the name and UK contact details of the responsible person in a secure information box that is accessible by firefighters.
• Install wayfinding signage in all high-rise buildings that is visible in low light conditions.
• Establish a minimum of monthly checks on lifts that are for the use of firefighters and on essential pieces of firefighting equipment.
• Inform the fire and rescue service if a lift used by firefighters or one of the pieces of firefighting equipment is out of order for longer than 24 hours.