Government commissions new fire safety guidance on purpose-built blocks of flats

Government commissions new fire safety guidance on purpose-built blocks of flats

Work is underway to develop new fire safety guidance for purpose-built flats to help landlords, fire risk assessors and enforcement bodies meet their responsibilities.

The document, which will cover existing purpose-built blocks of flats, is being prepared in response to a demand from social and private sector landlords for more in-depth guidance for such blocks. It will be freely available in pdf format and is expected in July.

The move follows a meeting last year between the Local Government Regulation body (formerly LACORS), the Department for Local Government and Communities (CLG), the Chief Fire Officers Association, the Tenant Services Authority and social and private accommodation providers.

The project, commissioned by CLG, is being led by the Local Government Improvement and Development body. The guidance aims to follow a similar format to existing guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing published in 2008 by Local Government Regulation and clarified in 2009. That guidance, however, was never meant to cover purpose-built blocks of flats.

Among other criteria, the new guidance aims to:

comprise a single document accessible to regulators, providers of accommodation and fire risk assessors

cover purpose-built flats of any height (high rise and low rise)

outline the legislative position, including the different applications of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System under the Housing Act 2004

be non-prescriptive, while providing suggested acceptable alternative arrangements.

Facilities Consultancy ltd will follow the story and release updates.

http://www.facilitiesconsultancy.co.uk/fire-safety

http://www.london-fireriskassessment.co.uk/

Suspended prison sentence for restaurant fire safety breaches

07 March 2011

The owner of a south Wales restaurant has been sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and 250 hours community service after being convicted of 13 offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Abdul Kadir, owner of the Raj Gate restaurant in Cwmbran, pleaded guilty to the offences at Cardiff Crown Court on 25 February. He had previously pleading not guilty at Caerphilly Magistrates' Court on the 24th March 2010, where he elected to be tried by jury.

Mr Kadir was also ordered to pay 5,300 in costs.

The prosecution followed an inspection of the restaurant by fire safety officers as far back as August 2008. The premises included sleeping accommodation for staff.

The inspection identified several breaches of fire safety legislation including inadequate provision of escape routes, a defective fire alarm system, obstruction of escape routes, no fire evacuation training for staff, and an inadequate emergency lighting system.

The breaches were considered so serious that Mr Kadir was issued with a prohibition notice to stop using the entire premises until the breaches were rectified. However, this prohibition order was breached on two occasions when the restaurant was found still to be trading without the deficiencies fully rectified.

The prohibition notice was lifted in respect of the ground floor on 1 September but remained in place for the first floor, until the restaurant eventually ceased trading in the summer of 2010.

The restaurant is now in the hands of a bankruptcy trustee, the court heard.

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