The Fire Safety Act 2021:
what your client needs to know [ FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS made in the Hackitt
Review, the Fire Safety Act 2021 was passed to amend the existing Fire Safety Order 2005. The Act is designed to prevent fire disasters from occurring in the future by clarifying who is responsible for managing and reducing fire risks. The Fire Safety Act 2021 applies to all premises other than those which have single occupancy. The designated Responsible Person – who is normally the leaseholder or duty-holder – must ensure a fire risk assessment is completed annually for the structure. The definition of what is included in the term ‘structure’ now includes the external walls, including doors, windows and anything attached to the walls, as well as common parts of the building. The Act makes enforcement action against the Responsible Person by the fire service and government more straightforward. Breaching fire safety regulations can have severe consequences for the property, the business and the Responsible Person. The government has yet to set a date for the Fire Safety Act 2021 to be enforced. The Responsible Person must undertake the necessary measures to ensure they are ready for when the Act comes into force, which is likely to be early next year. Whether your client has been affected by a suspected breach of fire safety regulations, or is the subject of an investigation for an alleged failure to comply, Strange, Strange and Gardner are there to help. They frequently report on cases where potential breaches of fire safety regulations are alleged to have taken place and where such violations may have resulted in or contributed towards damage or injury. They will carry out an extensive review of a client’s case and investigate whether compliance was initially
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achieved, if the assessment was competent and to what extent the assessment adhered to the new scope. They provide cost-effective reports promptly and their assistance is only a telephone call away. q
