Fire Safety Legislation

H&S Legislation and HSE Information

We reproduce the main sources of legal regulations and useful practical guides on fire safety good practice in the UK.

Acts of Parliament

Also known as ‘primary legislation’, Acts are passed by the House of Parliament. Acts lay down the general duties to be followed by individuals and organisations operating in the UK.

The Fire Safety Act 2021. An Act to make provision about the application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 where a building contains two or more sets of domestic premises; and to confer power to amend that order in future for the purposes of changing the premises to which it applies.

The HSE publish some practical guides on fire safety on their website.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO) 2005 applies to England and Wales. It was a consolidating Statutory Instrument effective from April 2006, which replaced a number of previous Acts and brought the UK more into line with European legislation. Similar acts were passed in Northern Ireland and Scotland around the same time.

Fire and rescue Services Act (FRSA) 2004.

Environmental Protection Act(EPA) 1990.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HASAWA) is the primary legislation for health and safety in the UK. You can view what the HSE have published on the Act here.

Regulations

Also known as ‘delegated legislation’, Regulations are issued under the name of the Secretary of State and they seek to add more detail on how the ACT should be applied to specific hazards or activities. Examples relevant to Health and Safety include:

Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations (SSSR) 1996. View the Regulations or HSE information.
Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations (DSEAR) 2002. View the Regulations or HSE information.
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2002. View the Regulations or HSE information.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. View the Regulations or HSE information.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. View the Regulations or HSE information.

Government Codes of Practice

The 2019 updated Approved Document B Volume 1 and 2 provides guidance on the requirements of B1 to B5 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 with an effective date of 30 August 2019 for use in England. These two documents give guidance on fire safety principles and their practical application.

Vol 1: Approved Document B: Dwellings
Vol 2: Approved Document B (Buildings other than dwelling houses)

British Standards

Written as individual holistic guides that should be applied with mixing and matching, published British Standards' guides are often adopted to demonstrate compliance with the fire safety regulations. These document are not freely available and must be purchased from the BSI.

BS 9999:2017: Fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings. Code of practice.
BS 5839-1:2017: Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises.
BS.5839-6: Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises.
BS 5266-1:2016: Emergency lighting. Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises.
BS 5306-3:2017: Fire extinguishing installations and equipment on premises. Commissioning and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers. Code of practice.
PAS 79:2020: Fire Risk Assessment. Housing. The PAS is being revised as a BSI standard. The withdrawn PAS is still available for download.

HSE Guidance

Guidance publications are issued by the Health and Safety Executive. They contain practical advice and examples of procedures and safe working practices. Guidance publications have no legal standing and are therefore not compulsory, unless specifically stated. Organisations and individuals are free to make other arrangements, but the Courts hold that if the guidance is followed then enough will be being done to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors also seek to secure compliance with the law by using guidance publications as the minimum standard to be met.

HSG168: Fire Safety in Construction updated 2022

Government Fire Safety Risk Assessment Guides

Guidance from other recognised sources

The Building a Safer Future Government website reporting how they are making progress introducing new measures in response to the lessons learned from the Grenfell Tower Fire Disaster.

The Builders Hardware Industry Federation and the Federation and Guild of Architectural Ironmongers has published a Code of Practice called Hardware for Fire and Escape Doors.

Fire Stopping Guidance

The ASFP have published various guides to the design, installation and maintenance of measures to contain fire and smoke or slow their spread. We recommend downloading their Red Book, which gives guidance on fire-stopping: Linear joint seals, penetration seals and small cavity barriers.