The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is a consolidation of existing fire safety legislation and was introduced to make the law easier to understand and comply with; it is part of the UK Government’s commitment to reduce death, injury and damage caused by fire.
The main effect of the Order is a move towards greater emphasis on fire prevention in all business premises. Fire certificates have been abolished and will cease to have legal status. Responsibility for complying with the Order will rest with the ‘responsible person’, usually the employer or site manager, who will have to carry out a fire risk assessment, focusing on the safety of all ‘relevant persons’. In England and Wales, companies that employ five or more people must now record the significant findings of the assessment.
Dr. Gary Mason of Praxis42, one of the UK’s leading providers of Health and Safety e-learning commented: “What this means is that all employers and the self-employed who are responsible for business premises will need to comply with new regulations.”
The Order imposes duties on the responsible person to take general fire precautions to ensure the safety of employees. Dr. Mason continued: “This includes provision of information and training in fire safety procedures which will now be required by law.”
In response to the new legislation, ALISON and Praxis42 have launched a new e-learning course ‘Fire Safety’, which has been developed with leading fire safety training professionals. It is available on ALISON at http://alison.com/
Dr. Mason concluded: “e-learning courses provide the perfect way to comply with all of the latest legislation. With up-to-the minute training, they offer companies of any size the ability to provide instant computer-based knowledge to their employees – when and where they need it.”
According to Martin Galvin, Chief Academic Officer at ALISON, the Fire Safety course works perfectly as a standalone course, or can be used as part of a blended learning solution. With the added benefit of being linked to the ALISON learning management system (ALISON Manager) which logs and tracks access to and completion of the course, employers will have increased confidence in their ability to comply with the new fire safety at work regulations.