New fire safety regulations – who is the responsible person?
Keeping people safe from harm in your building isn’t just about having a new alarm system installed or checking fire doors close properly. There are many elements to a property’s fire safety, so you need to regularly assess, manage and minimise the risks. With the latest fire safety legislation updates coming in, you must understand who holds legal responsibility and any changes you need to make.
Whether you own or manage a business or rental property, here are some key facts to know.
Who is the responsible person in the fire safety regulations?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the ‘responsible person’ is the individual who is legally required to ensure the fire safety of the premises. This includes employers, building owners, landlords, facilities managers or anyone else in control of the property.
Even if many duties fall to a site manager, the employer is often the responsible person for ensuring their employee has the right competence level to conduct the necessary checks. Your policies should clearly outline fire safety management structures and the named responsible person.
The responsible person must ensure suitable and sufficient fire risk assessments are carried out and acted upon. This includes installing appropriate measures to reduce the risk of fire while providing safe evacuation routes and signage.
Who is responsible for making a fire risk assessment?
If the responsible person has sufficient knowledge and competence, they can conduct a fire risk survey themselves. However, in most cases (especially if there’s a complex site involved), a professional fire risk assessor is appointed. By hiring a qualified fire risk surveyor, each inspection will be comprehensive to ensure every relevant element meets the required legal standards.
At MD Fire, we identify all hazards and fire risks. However, once your report is issued, it remains the legal duty of the responsible person to act on the findings and implement the right safety controls.
How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
There’s no fixed legal timeframe for reviewing a fire risk assessment, but the regulations do state they must be looked at ‘regularly’ to remain valid. Many businesses and landlords review their fire risk assessment once a year, which you must keep a written record of. Review it sooner if there are changes to your building layout or use, changes to occupancy numbers, new fire hazards introduced, or near-misses or fire-related incidents.
You can read more in our recent blog: How often should you conduct a fire risk assessment?
What are the new fire safety changes in 2025?
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2025 cover some of the key updates to existing legislation, such as Approved Document B. The goal is to improve clarity and accountability, especially in buildings of multiple occupation.
Key changes and additions cover:
- sprinklers in care homes
- banning of AFFF fire extinguishers
- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs)
- second staircases in residential buildings over a certain height
- responsibilities of building owners and managing agents
- high-rise buildings
- mandatory digital record keeping
- fire door checks
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