WA16

Businesses to take key responsibility for fire safety

Businesses are set to take key responsibility for fire safety, under reform proposals which have been laid before Parliament.

The plans, which aim to simplify fire safety law while placing a greater focus on fire prevention, will place the responsibility for fire safety on the employer or the person responsible for the building or premises.

Employers will have to assess the risks of fire, and take steps to reduce or remove those risks.

They will also have to adhere to certain requirements, such as ensuring the provision of sufficient means of escape, and appropriate fire fighting equipment.

The reforms are intended to replace the Fire Precautions Act 1971 with a single Order, which will apply to all workplaces and other non-domestic premises. If approved, the Order is expected to come into force next year.

Fire safety minister Phil Hope said that the proposals for regulatory reform will make fire safety laws easier for businesses to understand and to comply with.

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