Fire Safety-Time to reflect.

From @Fireindustry

Comment: The following only applies to England and Wales. Is it time for Scotland to look at our Legislation in a similar way? Is it time for all interested parties in Scotland to make comments on the success or otherwise of The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 Part 3 and The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006?

For the next three weeks, the public, businesses, Inspectors and enforcement officers are being asked to share their experience and ideas on fire safety regulations that they use on a daily basis. Industries are being given the opportunity to highlight where bad practice and conflicting advice hinders efficient business practice as part of the Red Tape Challenge.

The Challenge is a Government initiative to reduce red tape in regulation and industry professionals are being asked to consider which regulations are working and which are not; what should stay, what should be scrapped and what should be simplified.

The public can submit their opinions on the Red Tape Challenge website for Ministers and government officials to consider the feedback which will help them cut the right regulations in the right way.

The following fire regulations have been added to the list up for discussion between 30 June and 21 July 2011:

1. The Fire Safety (Employees’ Capabilities) (England) Regulations 2010

2. The Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England)Regulations

3. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005


The regulations in the Fire Safety category aim to prevent fires and protect employees and the public in the event of a fire. Things to consider:

• Should they be scrapped altogether?

• Can they be merged with existing regulations?

• Can we simplify them – or reduce the bureaucracy associated with them?

• Have you got any ideas to make these regulations better?

• Do you think they should be left as they are?


Once you’ve had your say, Ministers will have three months to work out which regulations they want to keep and why.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said, “The Red Tape Challenge has already been used to highlight a number of ways in which compliance problems are getting in the way of businesses, and leading to wasted effort from regulators who would like to take a more risk-based approach to compliance but aren't able to.

“I’d encourage everyone involved in enforcement to get involved in the Red Tape Challenge. You deal with these regulations and businesses who need to comply with them every day, so you’re uniquely placed to give honest and frank appraisal of where improvements can be made, without compromising the protection that the regulations were designed to provide.”