New fire safety regulations come into force in England
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, which implement the majority of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, come into force today (23 January 2023).
Getty Images
These are new requirements for ‘responsible persons’ of mid and high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to fire and rescue services to assist them with operational planning and provide additional safety measures. In all multi-occupied residential buildings, residents should now be provided with fire safety instructions and information on fire doors.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are now law from today and form part of a package of sensible, risk mitigating fire safety measures that the government is delivering following the Grenfell Tower fire to keep the public safe.
In high-rise residential buildings, responsible persons will be required to:
- provide their local fire and rescue service with up-to-date electronic building plans and information on the design and materials of their external wall
- undertake monthly checks of firefighting lifts, evacuation lifts and other key pieces of firefighting equipment
- install a secure information box and wayfinding signage
In mid-rise residential buildings (over 11 metres), responsible persons will be required to undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common part.
Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire, Chris Philp, said:
I am very pleased that measures to improve fire safety in blocks of flats are now law following recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Keeping the public safe is our utmost priority and we are committed to ensuring that the Grenfell tragedy must never happen again.