Introduction to Fire Safety Management

3
Organising for safety
This chapter discusses the following key 
aspects:
➤
Safety management roles and 
responsibilities
➤
Joint occupation of premises
➤
Consultation with employees
➤
The supply chain
➤
The supply and use of work equipment
➤
The supply of hazardous substances
➤
Construction 
safety
➤
Consumer 
products
➤
Contractor 
management.
3.2
Safety management roles and 
responsibilities
3.2.1 The responsible person (RP)
The RRFSO defi nes a key role for the management of 
fi re safety in organisations as a ‘responsible person’. 

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Introduction to Fire Safety Management
38
In civil law all employers have a duty to take reason-
able care of the safety of anyone who may be affected 
by his work undertaking. This includes, for example, 
employees, customers, end users of products and other 
members of the public.
The way in which employers discharge these duties 
will vary with the size and nature of an organisation. 
However, in general terms it will be the employer’s role 
to ensure that effective policies are in place, suffi cient 
resources are allocated to ensure that all work can be 
carried out safely and that an effective safety culture 
(see Chapter 4) is established and maintained.
It is often the case in larger organisations that the 
employer may himself be remote from the workplace. 
For many public service organisations, e.g. NHS trusts, 
police authorities and social services, the employer is a 
board of elected representatives of the public. In these 
circumstances it can be seen that it is even more critical 
for the employers to set clear policies in order that the 
directors and senior managers of the organisation can 
fulfi l their roles to assist in discharging the legal duties of 
their employers.
As with all persons who have safety responsibilities 
within any organisation the exact roles and responsi-
bilities of the employers to achieve effective health and 
safety management will be detailed in the health and 
safety policy required by section 2(3) of the HSWA.