Responsibilities

FIRE AND YOUR LEGAL LIABILITY

The regulatory Reform Safety Order 2005

If you are involved in provision of fire protection, at any level, then you share liability for its usefulness and its operation when it’s needed in fire, and that liability will still be there in the event of a court case. If it is your responsibility to specify the materials and/or appoint the installation contractor, it is also your responsibility to ensure that they can prove competency for the fire protection materials used, or the works to be carried out. It’s no longer simply a duty of care or voluntary – it’s a legal obligation.

The responsibility is yours

If it is your responsibility to manage or install passive fire protection products, materials or systems, it is also your responsibility to ensure that they are ‘fit for purpose’ i.e. that the manufacturer’s fire test and certification evidence fully covers the intended use. It is also your responsibility to ensure that the installer can demonstrate appropriate competency in the installation of the passive fire protection products, materials and systems used. It’s no longer simply a duty of care or voluntary – it’s a legal obligation.

Ensure you have selected a system that is installed by a competent installer who has had training and constant surveillance through the install, enabling a Certificate of Conformity to be issued.

Click here to view The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) Statement.