Regulations
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — what it actually requires
A plain-English summary of the RRO 2005 — the single piece of fire safety law that applies to almost every non-domestic premises in England and Wales.
What the RRO 2005 is
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — usually shortened to the RRO 2005 or just "the Fire Safety Order" — is the single piece of legislation that governs fire safety in non-domestic premises across England and Wales. It came into force on 1 October 2006 and consolidated more than 70 earlier pieces of fire safety law into one framework.
Where it applies
Almost everywhere that isn't a single private dwelling. That includes offices, shops, factories, warehouses, schools, care homes, hotels, restaurants, pubs, places of worship, village halls, sports clubs and the common parts of any building containing two or more dwellings — including blocks of flats and HMOs.
The Responsible Person
The Order requires one named Responsible Person for every premises in scope. In a workplace, that's the employer. In other premises, it's the person who has control of the premises in connection with running a business — typically the owner, occupier or managing agent. For shared premises the duty can be split, but it's never absent.
The five duties
- Carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment by a competent person.
- Identify the general fire precautions needed to keep people safe.
- Maintain those precautions in working order — alarms, doors, signage, extinguishers, lighting.
- Provide information, instruction and training to employees and relevant persons.
- Cooperate and coordinate with any other Responsible Person sharing the premises.
Enforcement
The local Fire & Rescue Service is the primary enforcing authority. Inspectors can issue alterations notices (a heads-up about future changes), enforcement notices (fix this within a stated time) and prohibition notices (close the premises immediately). Failure to comply can result in unlimited fines and, for the most serious breaches, custodial sentences of up to two years.
How it interacts with later law
The RRO 2005 remains the foundation. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the Order applies to the structure and external walls of multi-occupied residential buildings, and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added explicit duties around information sharing, signage and fire door inspection in those buildings. None of this replaces the RRO — it builds on it.
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