The Home Office have published new guidance to help outline Fire safety responsibilities under Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022. The Government website notes “This guidance explains what responsible persons need to do as a result of changes made to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (‘the Fire Safety Order’) through the Building Safety Act 2022.”

The guidance can be found on the Government website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/check-your-fire-safety-responsibilities-under-section-156-of-the-building-safety-act-2022/fire-safety-responsibilities-under-section-156-of-the-building-safety-act-2022

The new guidance stresses multiple actions a Responsible Person should be undertaking. This includes a requirement that Responsible Persons must record their fire safety arrangements. This is important, as it will be a legal obligation to demonstrate how fire safety is managed in your premises. This should therefore also include who is performing specific works required on-site that the Responsible Persons has outsourced to appropriate organisations.

BAFE strongly believes this is where UKAS accredited third-party certification of fire safety organisations is of huge benefit to the Responsible Person. Specifying and verifying appropriate third-party certification of fire safety organisations demonstrates your quality decision making process for the specific works you require. By awarding contracts to these organisations with objective evidence of their competency, it is a clear message to all that you take your fire safety responsibilities seriously.