Cleveland Fire Brigade is urging Tees businesses to be aware of important changes to fire safety legislation before they come into force on October 1st 2023.
The call comes as the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) launch their annual Business Safety Week which runs from 11th-17th September and aims to make businesses aware of their legal fire safety responsibilities.
Throughout the week the Brigade’s Fire Engineering team will be targeting local businesses and providing them with vital fire safety advice including guidance on the imminent changes to the new legislation – section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 to ensure people are fully brought up to speed on the changes.
Many premises will be affected by the changes including small shops, take-aways, holiday lets and small blocks of flats: The main changes businesses need to be aware of are:
- All businesses will need to record a fire risk assessment and fire safety arrangements in full – regardless of the number of employees, and size or type of business.
- There are increased requirements for cooperation and coordination between Responsible Persons in multi occupied buildings or those where the occupier and owner are not the same person.
- In residential buildings with two or more domestic premises residents must be provided with information on the risks from fire and the fire safety measures provided to keep them safe.
More information can be found on the Business section of Cleveland Fire Brigade’s website.
The Fire Engineering team inspects between 1500 and 2000 businesses every year and work closely with them on their fire safety regulations. The team is also responsible for enforcing regulations and has the power to prosecute those businesses which do not comply with legislation.
Joe Flounders, Head of Fire Engineering at Cleveland Fire Brigade says: “With time running out before the new changes to fire safety legislation commence on October 1st, it is so important that businesses are fully aware of their legal fire safety responsibilities and know what they need to do to ensure their business is fully compliant.”
“We don’t expect business owners to be experts in fire safety which is why we are here to provide support to your business and talk you through it step by step to ensure you are compliant with legislation.
We work with all kinds of businesses from those that are small and family run to multi-million-pound businesses. Whatever the business, we can provide one-on-one support, through our risk inspection programme where we visit premises to advise them and ensure they are compliant. Businesses can also make use of our website which contains helpful guidance and information.”
For more information, help and guidance please contact our Fire Engineering Department on 01429 874109 or email fireengineeringhelpdesk@clevelandfire.gov.uk
