New Fire Safety Laws For Businesses

OXFORDSHIRE County Council?s Fire and Rescue Service has announced new fire safety rules that will shortly come into force, affecting all non-domestic premises in the county.
The government made the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order in June 2005.
It is the biggest overhaul of fire safety legislation in decades and will affect businesses throughout England and Wales.

Oxfordshire?s Fire and Rescue Service wants to alert all types of businesses in the county to the change in legislation to ensure that they know what to do when the law comes into effect in October 1.

A series of guides have been issued by the government that will help people carry out the necessary change. These are available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website: Link
or by email: fire.safetyreform@communities.gov.uk

People will need to act by October 2006, if they are:

? responsible for business premises
? an employer
? self-employed with business premises
? a charity or voluntary organisation
? a contractor with a degree of control over
any premises.

Councillor Ray Jelf, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at the county council said: ?I would urge businesses of every kind to access the information that has been provided by the government so that they know what they have to do well before the new legislation takes effect.

?The government?s aim is to save more people from death and injury by reducing the risk of fires and it is keen to support businesses in the changes that will be necessary to do this.?