Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
10
roles and responsibilities. The Act also lays down the 
mechanisms by which the Act will be enforced, which 
will be dependent upon the type of business activity 
being undertaken.
Table 1.2 indicates which enforcing body is respon-
sible for various business sectors.
➤
Conduct such tests and examinations as are 
necessary
➤
Provide adequate, up-to-date safety information
➤
Conduct research to identify, eliminate or minimise 
any risks to health and safety
➤
Ensure that nothing about the way that the article is 
installed or erected makes it unsafe.
This section is also very important when considering fi re 
risk, particularly that which relates to the fi re retardant 
nature of products or installing fi re safety systems.
Personal liabilities
All employees
The Act places three key duties on 
employees:
➤
To take reasonable care of their own health and 
safety and of others who may be affected by their 
acts or omissions at work
➤
To cooperate with their employer and others in the 
discharge of their legal obligations
➤
Not to interfere or misuse anything that is provided 
for their safety (although this refers to all persons 
not just employees).
Senior managers/directors
In addition to their own 
personal liabilities as ‘employees’, section 37 of the Act 
enables the enforcement authorities to prosecute senior 
manager/directors as well as the corporate body, where 
the individual (holding a senior position and can be seen 
as ‘the controlling mind’) has been deemed to have con-
sented, connived or neglected with a duty by an act or 
omission in breach of any statutory legislation.
HSC & HSE
The Act established both the health and safety commis-
sion and the health and safety executive identifying their 
Manufacturers
Designers
Installers
Suppliers
Erectors
Importers
Duty
Holders
Section 6