Introduction to Fire Safety Management

1.3.3 Legal 
reasons
The United Kingdom has, over time, developed a set 
of rules and standards. These rules and standards 
are refl ected in civil and criminal laws, which regulate, 
among other things, our work activities.
In civil law, it has been established that employers 
must take reasonable care of their employees. Failure to 
meet these obligations can result in a claim for compen-
sation by the individual/s who have suffered a loss.
The criminal law places statutory duties on employ-
ers, responsible persons and others to ensure the health 
and safety of employees and other persons who may be 
affected by the work activities.
Legislative control over fi re safety matters in the 
UK was rationalised in 2006 with the introduction of the 
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The Order 
sets out in detail the roles and responsibilities of those 
charged with managing fi re safety within organisations 
(the ‘responsible person’) and that an assessment of fi re 
risk has been undertaken. The order is enforced by local 
fi re authorities (see section 1.4 below).
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 
(HSWA) together with the Management of Health and 
Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to 
demonstrate that they have assessed and are managing 
their risks to their employees and other persons who 
could be affected by the work activity.
Failure to comply with any of the general safety or 
fi re specifi c legislation can result in signifi cant fi nes for 
companies and their managers, custodial sentences and 
enforcement action by the enforcement authorities.
1.3.4 The business case for managing fi re safety
The moral, economic and legal consequences of a fail-
ure in any safety system can have a signifi cant impact 
upon a business. A serious fi re in a workplace that 
results from inadequate management of fi re safety mat-
ters can begin a spiral of events that may result in total 
business failure.