As a business or organisation operating in the UK with a building or physical location, there are fire safety laws and regulations that you must adhere to – not only to be legally compliant, but also to ensure the safety of all staff and customers who may be present.
Whilst the detailed laws and regulations documents are lengthy, it is still essential that everyone responsible for fire safety knows what they need to take into consideration in order to create a safer environment. In this guide, we’ve outlined some of the main fire safety measures you need to know about in 2022.
Note: you should still read the full fire safety laws and regulations for your country to check that you’re following all regulations correctly, or acquire the services of someone who can make your business compliant for you.
First Of All, Who Is Responsible For Fire Safety?
Anyone with control of the premises is responsible for fire safety. This includes:
- Owners of the business
- Building managers / high level managers of the business
- Landlords who own the property
- Occupiers of the property
- Anybody else who might have control of the building such as facilities managers, managing agents, or risk assessors
Fire Risk Assessments
The very first element of your fire safety comes in the form of a risk assessment. Every business must have a fire risk assessment that is reviewed and updated regularly. This is one of the first things that an inspecting fire authority officer will ask to see if they inspect your premises and is the foundation of a comprehensive safety plan and strategy.
A fire risk assessment must:
- Be written out and documented on the premises if your business has more than 5 employees, or if your premises require a licence
- Be reviewed and updated regularly to cover any potential changes
- Record and clearly show any main findings and action that needs to be taken
Your fire risk assessment can be carried out by a professional fire risk assessor or anyone in your business who can confidently identify issues and create an action plan.
Fire Safety Logbook 
In order to remain compliant with fire safety legislation, you must have a fire safety logbook present on your premises at all times. This is so that anyone who might need access to it can do so easily.
Your fire safety logbook needs to include details on fire safety equipment (such as extinguishers, fire doors, and alarms), and fire safety procedures.
Fire Extinguishers and Equipment
According to UK fire safety laws, your business must provide appropriate fire-fighting equipment. For the majority of businesses this usually means that you’ll need to have a sufficient number of fire extinguishers on site.
High-risk businesses – like restaurants or chemical storage facilities for example – need additional equipment such as hose reels and sprinklers in order to stay effectively safe.
All equipment must be maintained and in full working order, must be certified to industry standards, and must undergo annual maintenance tests.
Signage
All business premises must have sufficient fire safety signage throughout the building that can point people in the direction of fire-fighting equipment, emergency route, and emergency exits.
The two signs that are required in all property types are Fire Action Notices which detail what to do in the event of a fire, and Fire Extinguisher ID Signs which detail each type of extinguisher and provide the location for each. Fire exit signs are needed in all buildings apart from those that extremely small with only one or two points of exit.
Alarms
Fire alarms are not required in all buildings, especially if they’re low risk and very small, however it may still be a good idea to have them installed as an extra precaution that could save lives.
Fire safety regulations require that all businesses have an appropriate fire detection system, which can either be manual or automatic depending on your business. Everybody in the building must be able to hear the alarm clearly and there needs to be an alarm call point at every point of exit.
Emergency Lighting
Emergency lighting is needed on your premises in order to supply light to important areas in case your normal lighting fails during a fire. If your building doesn’t have enough borrowed light to exit the building safely, has any danger areas such as kitchens, or has any rooms larger than 60 square metres, then emergency lighting should be in place.
Your emergency lights should be serviced at least annually, and should undergo a 3 hour test each year, where your normal lighting is turned off and the building runs on the emergency system for 3 hours.
Training and Drills
Fire drills and fire safety training are some of the most essential elements in keeping everybody in your organisation safe in the event of a fire as they will help everyone to act safely and effectively.
UK fire safety regulations require you to carry out annual refresher sessions on fire safety, regular fire drills, training updates whenever there’s a change to your building or layout, and to appoint fire marshals or wardens within the workforce.
Fire safety is an incredibly important aspect to get right. It doesn’t just keep your business legally compliant, it saves lives. If you’re unsure as to whether or not your building currently adheres to latest legislation, you should either read up on the full documents or you should speak with a fire safety professional who can help to get your business in-line.
If you’ve got any questions regarding your fire safety or would like help in becoming fire-safe to the proper legal standard, get in touch with us today.