What is the Regulatory Reform [Fire Safety] Order?
• The RRFSO is the biggest overhaul of fire safety legislation in decades. It applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is similar legislation in Scotland. The Governments over-riding aim is to save more people from death and injury by reducing risk and preventing fires. Key to this is a switch from fire protection to fire prevention and the foundation to this is a new emphasis on fire risk assessment. Changes to Part B of the Building Regulations reflect this and for the first time designers are being asked to complete a fire risk assessment as the first stage of the design process. The revised Construction Design and Management Regulations [CDM] that will came into effect in April 2007 gives more detail to this approach.
