Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

[edit] Introduction

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will implement the majority of the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in its Phase 1 report which required a change in the law. The regulations seek to improve the fire safety of blocks of flats in ways which are practical, cost effective for individual leaseholders and proportionate to the risk of fire. The regulations come into force on 23 January 2023 following publication of accompanying guidance on 6 December 2022.

[edit] High-rise residential buildings

For high-rise residential buildings (a multi-occupied residential building at least 18 metres in height or 7 or more storeys), responsible persons must:

• Share electronically with their local fire and rescue service (FRS) information about the building’s external wall system and provide them with electronic copies of floor plans and building plans for the building.
• Keep hard copies of the building’s floor plans, in addition to a single page orientation plan of the building, and the name and UK contact details of the responsible person in a secure information box which is accessible by firefighters.
• Install wayfinding signage in all high-rise buildings which is visible in low light conditions.
• Establish a minimum of monthly checks on lifts which are for the use of firefighters in high-rise residential buildings and on essential pieces of firefighting equipment.
• Inform the fire and rescue service if a lift used by firefighters or one of the pieces of firefighting equipment is out of order for longer than 24 hours

[edit] Multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres

For multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres in height, responsible persons must undertake quarterly checks on all communal fire doors and annual checks on flat entrance doors

[edit] All multi-occupied residential buildings

In all multi-occupied residential buildings, responsible persons must provide residents with relevant fire safety instructions and information about the importance of fire doors

[edit] Relationship to other requirements

The Fire Safety Act (FSA) clarifies the scope of the Fire Safety Order to make clear that it applies to the structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and individual flat entrance doors between domestic premises and the common parts.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, made under article 24 of the Fire Safety Order, impose new duties on responsible persons with regard to the areas brought within the Fire Safety Order by the Fire Safety Act, and commencement of section one of the Fire Safety Act was therefore a necessary precursor to the laying of these regulations.

This article is based on updates from the Government website for further details, fact sheets and guidance visit the site directly at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Fire in buildings
• Fire and Security Association.
• Approved document B.
• BS EN 3.
• BS 7974.
• BS 9999.
• BS EN 13501-1.
• Fire performance of external thermal insulation for walls of multistorey buildings, third edition (BR 135).
• Fire risk in high-rise and super high-rise buildings DG 533.
• Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.
• Grenfell Tower fire.
• HSG 168 Fire safety in construction.
• The Building Safety Bill.
• The Building Safety Act.
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

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