This is what you need to know about your legal requirements: • The RRO replaced more than 100 pieces of existing legislation to simplify the law on fire safety • Compliance is mandatory – building owners have a legal duty to comply • Failing to comply can put lives and property at risk and could result in a criminal prosecution • It applies to fire and escape doors and requires annual risk assessment and appropriate maintenance • Article 17 requires a suitable maintenance regime to ensure relevant equipment is kept in an efficient state • Article 18 requires the responsible person to appoint one or more competent persons to assist in undertaking the preventive and protective measures • The responsible person may be the building owner, landlord, or person in charge such as a head teacher, estate manager, managing director, or any person that has control of the building. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order The RRO came into force in 2006 in England and Wales; transferring the responsibility for Fire Safety from the fire authorities to whoever has day-to-day control of building premises. This is known as the Responsible Person. This person must take steps to reduce the risk from fire; consider how to contain a fire should one break out and ensure people can escape safely. They also need to be able to identify a Competent Person i.e. knowledgeable, qualified professional who can undertake preventative and protective measures, such as Fire Door Inspections, if they’re not confident to do so. |LEGISLATION