A Brief History of Fire
Safety Legislation
1950’s
– 1960’s
Over time fire safety
requirements have appeared in over one hundred different
pieces of legislation. In the 1950’s and 1960’s
a number of different authorities enforced fire legislation
in the UK for example
· Factories, The
factory inspector (later to become the HSE)
· Hotels, The Local Authority
· Offices & Shops, The Fire Service.
Following two fires, one in a factory
and one in a hotel, in which over 45 people died it
was decided to improve fire safety by introducing the
Fire Precautions Act.
1970’s – 1980’s
– 1990’s
The Fire Precautions Act 1971 required buildings with
certain uses, and occupied by more than a set number
of persons to have a fire certificate issued by the
Fire Service. A Fire Officer would
survey the premises and make requirements, when the
requirements were met a Fire Certificate would be issued.
Routine inspections were carried out to check that the
requirements of the Fire Certificate were being complied
with. Also any alterations would need to be approved
by the Fire Service. So to a great extent the Fire Service
had control of your premises and your
fire safety.
1997
Following a European Union directive that required employers
to take control of their fire safety by undertaking
a fire risk assessment
and acting on the findings, the Fire Precautions (Workplace)
regulation 1997 was introduced. This was a regulation
under the Health & Safety at Work Act. In the UK
if you had a Fire Certificate you were exempted as your
fire safety was under the control of the Fire Service.
1999
The European Union informed the UK that no one could
be made exempt from the requirements of the directive.
In December 1999 the Fire Precautions (Workplace) regulation
1999 (as amended) was introduced thus removing the exemption.
This put the UK in a dilemma as
we now had two pieces of legislation dealing with fire
safety.
2006
The Government reformed fire safety legislation in October
2006 by enacting The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety)
Order. This repealed The Fire Precautions Act. and the
Fire Precautions (Workplace) regulation 1999 (as amended).
It also amends over one hundred other pieces of legislation
removing fire safety elements from them, bringing everyone
under one regime.
In general this means no one requires
a Fire Certificate, therefore the Fire and Rescue Service
will not determine your fire safety requirements. The
responsible person
for the premises must take ownership
of their fire safety, and decide what is needed after
undertaking a fire risk assessment. It also means some
premises that were outside the scope of previous legislation
are now legally required to take into account fire safety.
The Fire and Rescue Service is
the enforcing authority for the majority of premises
under the Fire Safety Order.
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