Commercial buildings can vary tremendously in size, but if your building consists of no more than a basement, a ground floor, and a first floor, and no floor exceeds 280m2, it will be classified as ‘small non-domestic premises’ – and this definition comes with very clear obligations under fire safety law.
To help you understand these legal obligations, and meet them, we’ve written this short guide, drawing on Home Office advice.
Who’s responsible for fire safety?
First of all, who’s responsible for fire safety in a building of this kind?
The critical piece of legislation in England and Wales, for this type of commercial building as well as others, is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which designates the ‘Responsible Person’ concerned.
There’s more detail on the precise definition of the Responsible Person in another guide we wrote recently, but suffice it to say that if you own or run a building, or lease company space within it, fire safety responsibility is likely to be yours.
What are the fire safety obligations in these premises?
As a Responsible Person, your legal fire safety obligations in small non-domestic premises encompass six key areas:
Carrying out, or commissioning, a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)
- Putting in place adequate fire safety measures, based on the findings of the FRA
- Maintaining those fire safety measures
- Communicating fire procedures and fire safety measures to employees and visitors
- Cooperating with other Responsible Persons and similar (e.g. dutyholders) to coordinate fire safety measures
- Regularly reviewing and repeating FRAs to keep step with new risks
It’s a fairly simple set of requirements at first glance, but in practice it can become complex, and you may well need expert help. We look into this below.
What do fire safety measures entail?
The fire safety and protection measures you may have to put in place can cover a whole raft of factors.
These include means of escape, maximum travel distance to a safe exit, the location of staircases, the protection of escape routes, fire exits and fire exit signs, and emergency lighting, alarms – plus fire drills, fire safety training, and fire action plans.
However, the precise measures depend on the building’s particular characteristics and its occupants, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all exercise.
Indeed, the FRA is often invaluable in highlighting what action you don’t, as well as do, need to take.
Competence: who can carry out an FRA?
We’ve written an article about who’s competent to carry out FRAs in more detail in a previous post, but to recap, it must cover:
- Active fire protection – Extinguishers, alarms, sprinklers, and other devices that require either human or automatic activation
- Passive fire protection (PFP) – Elements of the building that contain and slow down the spread of fire and smoke, including fire doors, and fire compartmentation such as walls, floors and ceilings.
But competency also requires skill in understanding where changes to a building do and don’t affect fire safety compliance, and where fire safety breaches may be buried in older layers of the building.
Government guidance indicates that it’s best practice to seek out external experts who can demonstrate their fire protection accreditations and certifications.
Get help to stay fire safety-compliant
At Commercial Fire Protection, our experienced team is qualified, accredited, and certified to advise you on fire safety obligations in small non-domestic and other commercial premises.
Ensure your small non-domestic premises meet fire safety regulations with the help of our certified fire protection experts. We’ll carry out a comprehensive Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) and provide the solutions needed to protect your building and its occupants.
Contact us at hello@commercialfireprotection.co.uk
Call us at 08000590113
Or complete our online contact form to request your FREE Guide to Fire Protection Compliance today!
