What Is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — commonly referred to as the RRO or Fire Safety Order — replaced the previous patchwork of fire safety legislation in England and Wales with a single, consolidated framework. It came into force in October 2006 and applies to virtually all non-domestic premises, including workplaces, schools, hotels, hospitals, places of worship, and the common areas of multi-occupied residential buildings.
The core principle of the RRO is risk-based fire safety: instead of prescribing specific measures, it requires the responsible person to identify the fire risks in their premises and take proportionate action to control them. The fire risk assessment is the mechanism through which this is achieved.
Key Duties Under the RRO
- Carry out (or commission) a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and record its significant findings
- Appoint a competent person to assist with fire safety duties where the responsible person does not have sufficient competence
- Implement and maintain fire safety measures identified by the assessment — including fire detection, emergency lighting, escape routes, firefighting equipment, and fire doors
- Ensure fire safety information and instructions are provided to employees and others at risk
- Establish and maintain emergency procedures and train staff on what to do in a fire
- Cooperate and coordinate with other responsible persons in multi-occupied buildings
- Review the fire risk assessment whenever there is reason to believe it is no longer valid
Who Enforces the RRO?
Enforcement of the RRO is primarily the responsibility of the local fire and rescue authority. Fire safety officers have powers to inspect premises, require access to the fire risk assessment, and issue enforcement notices or prohibition notices. In the most serious cases, they may prosecute the responsible person.
Certain premises — such as construction sites, nuclear installations, and some ships — are subject to enforcement by other bodies. The Health and Safety Executive enforces fire safety on construction sites, for example.
Amendments: Fire Safety Act 2021 and 2022 Regulations
The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified and extended the scope of the RRO to explicitly include the structure, external walls (including cladding), and flat entrance doors of multi-occupied residential buildings. This was a direct legislative response to the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced additional specific duties for responsible persons of multi-occupied residential buildings above 11 metres, including quarterly inspections of communal fire doors, provision of fire safety information to residents, and — for high-rise buildings — additional requirements such as evacuation alert systems and building information boxes for the fire service.
