| The
Fire Precautions Act 1971 (FPA) placed legal obligations upon employers
to ensure that their places of work and employees were protected in the case of
fire. These regulations however did not extensively cover all places of work and
the risks that may be associated with them. Therefore other regulations made under
the 1971 Act have since come into force. The latest of these, the FIRE
PRECAUTIONS (WORKPLACE) REGULATIONS 1997 (amended) came into force on 1 December
1999. These new regulations add very little to current legislation but
do place certain responsibilities in line with the Management
of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 on every employer.
The main aspect of these amended regulations is that in every location apart from domestic premises there will be a need to carry out a fire risk assessment. The regulations provide the minimum fire safety standards required. They apply to shared / multiple occupancy facilities where the responsibility may fall on the Landlord / Owner but individual employers / tenants will still need to risk assess their own areas and provide information. |
| Other associated legislation can be found in the following regulations: |
| Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 |
| Fire Precautions (Sub Surface) Regulations 1989 |
| The Building Act 1984 |
| Fire Certificate (Special Premises) Regulations 1976 |
| |
| Fire Services Act 1947 |
| Health and Safety at Work Act 1974(HSWA) |
| Public Health Acts 1936-1961 |
| |
| The key to the regulations in the Fire Precautions Act 1971 lies in certification. There are still many locations that require a fire certificate as well as a fire risk assessment to be carried out. |
|
Section Index |