Fire Safety Enforcement

Fire Safety laws are enforced at the local level. Depending upon where you live this will be one of two types of council/local authority 

  • A County Council 
  • A Unitary Town/City Council
    Double-check which of these most applies to your area, as sometimes it isn’t immediately obvious. For example, although Rochester is in Kent, its local authority is Medway Council.
    These authorities have powers to issue the following kinds of notices 
  • Alterations Notices – A legal requirement for the first responsible person to tell the local authority when certain types of changes are being made to the premises. These are usually issued when the premises is already considered high risk. 

  • Enforcement Notices – A legal requirement to make specific changes by a specific date. This kind of notice is used when the local authorities believe that a specific and serious risk is not being properly managed. 
  • Prohibition Notices – The local councils most powerful tool. If a local authority believes there is sufficient fire safety danger, it can shut premises down until the changes are made.
    Failing to abide by these notices can result in: 
  • Fines of up to £5,000 for a minor penalty 
  • Unlimited fines for a major penalty 
  • Up to two years in prison for a major penalty 

Measures of Fire Safety

Housekeeping 

Housekeeping is a vital everyday practice that needs constant high-quality upkeep if you are going to keep your workplace safe and free of fires. Everyone needs to work to keep the environment tidy, organised, and clean, to prevent potential fire risks and make evacuations as safe and unimpeded as possible. Although it’s a Fire Warden’s job to oversee this process, feel free to make it clear it’s everyone’s job to do their bit. 

To carry out good housekeeping, you and your colleagues should be doing the following on a regular basis. (p. 35) 

  • Remove waste / excess cardboard boxes, used paper, discarded card, and other flammable materials from the premise as soon as possible once they are no longer needed. Avoid storing flammable waste in places like hallways, near fire exits, or alongside emergency escape routes
  • Make sure all spillages of hazardous materials such as cleaning chemicals, cooking oils, baking substances, industrial fluids, lubricating oils, etc., are cleaned up and made safe as quickly as possible. Not only are some of these potential sources of fuel should an ignition spark fly free, but they also represent slip or fall hazards in the event of an ongoing evacuation – either a drill or real. 

Housekeeping 

  • Once they have been used, or if they are out of use, store hazardous fuel sources as far away from potential ignition sources as possible. Take faulty, damaged, or otherwise sub-optimal equipment out of the rotation of regular use as soon as possible. Arrange for the arrival of repair staff, replacement equipment, or extra safety systems as soon as practical. 
  • Always extinguish and dispose of cigarettes correctly. Ensure that no smoking is occurring anywhere on the premises except within designated smoking areas. Monitor compliance as much as is feasible. 
  • Keep a careful eye on all plug sockets. Ensure that they are deactivated when not in use.
  • Make sure that there is no overloading of electrical sockets – keep the use of extension leads and other such equipment to a minimum.