FIA

New Fire Safety Legislation - The Story so Far

The UK fire industry has been characterised by significant change in recent years, most notably with the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO), which became law in England and Wales in October 2006. This is the most important piece of fire safety legislation since the Workplace Regulations of 1971 (which it replaces) and it changes the way we approach fire safety, both in its management and in the methods of enforcement. A decidedly similar risk assessment based approach has also been implemented in Scotland with the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 also becoming law in October. Northern Ireland is likely to implement similar legislation although this has been delayed by the restoration of devolution to the Northern Ireland Assembly.