The issues facing the ‘responsible person’ under the terms of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 are many and often confusing. Here, Chris Hughes, certification manager of Exova Warringtonfire, examines what can be done to help this group of people caught in the firing line of fire safety legislation.

Under current law, the landlord, manager or employer is presented with a daunting task when it comes to fire safety.

The Regulatory Reform Order 2005 (RRO) says they ‘must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and implement and maintain preventive and protective fire safety measures.’

He or she must ‘make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed’ for the purpose of identifying fire precautions they need to take.

How are they to understand and find their way through these requirements? They are the people upon whose decisions the safety of people and property rest but they are too often neglected or not considered in the decision-making process.

A fire safety industry leader has called for consistency in guidance for landlords and building owners as the Make Britain’s Buildings Safe initiative gathers momentum.

The campaign, led by Exova Warringtonfire in collaboration with a group of industry leading organisations and MPs, aims to develop voluntary guidance for the ‘responsible person’ which can help them meet the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Jonathan O’Neill, managing director of the Fire Protection Association, said: “Our call to the industry is for consistency – we want clear guidance available across the board especially for the average building owner or landlord who is expected to make important decisions about fire risk assessment.”

And Jonathan Herrick, lead of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association Regulators’ Guidance group, said: “This can help with our work for all fire brigades, a generic guide which can support fire safety at all levels. We are happy to support this initiative because it is so important.”

With pressure growing for independent fire risk assessment to protect the end user, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) says it expects one or more national registers of assessors to be created whose certification process has been ‘independently quality assured.’ Here, Simon Ince, manager personnel certification schemes Warrington Certification Ltd (WCL), part of Exova Warringtonfire, examines the issues.

The Department for Communities and Local Government, along with the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, has welcomed the fire sector’s lead in developing criteria against which fire risk assessors can be assessed. At the same time, an online poll recently indicated an overwhelming demand by the industry for a national register.