New fire regulations bring new responsibilities.

No-one can forget the terrifying scenes on TV when the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower took hold – and no-one can imagine the horror the residents suffered on that fateful night.

But as a result of the tragedy that took place, The Hackitt Report was set up to review building regulations and fire safety.

And now, finally, more than five years after the tower was engulfed, new Fire Safety (England) Regulations have come into force. They are the latest in a range of new legislation designed to implement the recommendations of the Hackitt review and expand on the Fire Safety Order 2005.

The new rules impose tighter responsibilities on building owners and, in particular, on owners of high-rise residential buildings. Contractors and sub-contractors will also have new responsibilities when building, refurbishing or maintaining high-rise buildings too.

A building is defined as a high-rise property if it contains two or more sets of domestic premises and if it is at least 18 metres tall or has at least seven storeys.

So these buildings are mainly blocks of flats – whether they are purpose-built or converted from another type of building such as a house or office complex – and also include blocks used for student accommodation, and the residential parts of mixed-use buildings.

There are several key requirements under the new legislation, many of which put the onus on the “Responsible Person” for the property.

For practical purposes, in the case of a block of flats, the Responsible Person will be whoever has control of the premises in connection with carrying on a business – this will typically be the freeholder or the managing agents for the block, or a residents’ management company.

If any part of the building is a workplace, the employer of anyone working there will be a Responsible Person. This can be the case if a concierge is employed or parts of the building are used for commercial purposes.

Once it’s established who the Responsible Person is, they will have new responsibilities now that the new rules are in place.

They will be obliged to keep records of the design and materials used in the construction of the external walls, and to keep accurate floor and building plans showing the location of all lifts and the key fire-fighting equipment.

You’ll need to provide this information to the local fire and rescue service and ensure monthly checks of the lifts and fire-fighting equipment are carried out.

It will be your responsibility to ensure the contractor or manufacturer of fire doors has provided detailed information about them and you’ll need to provide residents with annual updates on the doors themselves.

If your building is over 11 metres high, as the Responsible Person you’ll need to carry out checks on the operation of the fire doors of domestic dwellings every 12 months and communal areas every three months.

And if you do find any issues, the onus will be on you to get them resolved as soon as possible.

So if you live in a high-rise building and you’re not sure who the Responsible Person is, start asking questions – your safety is their responsibility and they have a vital job to do.

And if you are the Responsible Person and you need help, our in-house health and safety team can offer all the advice you need so don’t hesitate to give us a call

Rob.