Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Figure 1.19 Stair lift in situation
➤ Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for
Supply) Regulations 2002 (CHIP)
➤ CHIP requires that chemical products provided
from an approved supplier are required to be provided
with a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
which provides information under 16 headings.
The MSDS provides information among other
things on fl ammability, storage arrangements, boiling
points, etc. all of which are extremely useful
when determining fi re risks and control measures.
➤ Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004
➤ This piece of legislation places prevention at the
heart of the role of the fi re and rescue service,
but also introduces powers for fi re fi ghters to
gain entry in the event of fi re, and undertake fi re
investigation.
➤ Disability Discrimination Act 1995
➤ The Act principally identifi es who has duties
and responsibilities, the need to ensure that
‘reasonable adjustments’ have or will be made so
as to ensure that those employing or providing
services to people who are disabled have adequate
arrangements in place which would include
arrangements for effective safe evacuation in the
event of an emergency, e.g. a fi re.
➤ Building Regulations 2000
➤ The Building Regulations are designed to secure
the health and safety, welfare and convenience
Fire safety foundations
of people in or about buildings and of others who
may be affected by buildings or matters connected
with buildings. In addition they develop
and control the conservation of fuel and power
and prevent waste, undue consumption, misuse
or contamination of water.
➤ Building Regulations approval is required under
the following circumstances:
➤ The erection or extension of a building
(including loft conversions)
➤ The installation or extension of a service
or fi tting (e.g. washing and sanitary facilities,
hot water cylinders, foul and rainwater
drainage, replacement windows and fuel
burning appliances)
➤ Alteration works which may have an effect
on the building in terms of structure, fi re
safety and access and facilities for all (e.g.
openings in walls, removal of fi re doors,
changes to accessibilities)
➤ The insertion of insulation into a cavity wall
➤ The underpinning of a building’s foundation
➤ The change of use of all or part of a building
(e.g. conversion of a shop into a dwelling,
conversion of a house into fl ats and
conversion of a garage into a room)
➤ Replacement windows
➤ Electrical installations in dwellings.
➤ Building Regulations are enforced by local building
control authorities and in relation to fi re they
consult with the local fi re and rescue authorities.
1.4.4 Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 (FSA)
Identifi ed within Part 3 Chapter 1 and Schedule 2 of the
FSA are the duties of employers to employees and duties
in relation to relevant premises.
In essence, the principles of the FSA cover the same
ethos as the RRFSO, while not directly following the
MHSW Regulations. The FSA identifi es the overall duty of
an employer to ‘so far as reasonably practicable’ ensure
that the employer’s employees are not put at risk from
fi re in the workplace. The Act goes on to require that a
fi re risk assessment should be completed and control
measures be put in place.
As in the case of the RRFSO and the MHSW
Regulations the risk assessment should be subject to
review and fi re safety measures should be put in place to
comply with the law. The latter are contained in Schedule
2 and are outlined below:
➤ measures to reduce the risk of:
➤ fi re in relevant premises; and
➤ the risk of the spread of fi re there;
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