The main rules under the new legislation:

• You need to carry out a fire risk assessment, identifying all possible dangers and risks. As part of this you must consider the safety of everyone in the premises (E.g.: Staff, customers, delivery staff, etc…).
   
• Get rid of, or minimize any risks found as far as is reasonably possible (E.g.: Replace flammable materials for non-flammable materials if possible); and provide fire precautions to deal with any remaining risks (E.g.: Smoke alarms, fire extinguishers).
   
• Provide protection if flammable or explosive materials are used or stored.
   
• Create a plan to deal with any emergency. If you have five or more employees you must keep a record of this plan.
   
• Regularly review your findings to make sure all new situations are covered (E.g.: A new employee, an office expansion, stocking new potentially flammable goods, etc…).
   
• Fire certificates are no longer required or valid.

Your local fire authority should provide you with practical advice on request, and they can also order investigations or issue notices where you fail to meet the regulations.

Although the new regulations are designed to make meeting fire regulations easier (by merging lots of existing legislations), they appear to be causing confusion among many small business owners who are unsure what they need to do. Two links with more information are listed below.

Remember that you are responsible for the health and safety of your employees, so leaving fire risks puts you at risk of health and safety claims as well as those under the new fire regulations.