Under the terms of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 employers have many responsibilites
Employers should:
carry out a fire risk assessment of the workplace
identify significant findings of the assessment and the details of anyone especially at risk. (NB These must be recorded when there are more than five employees)
provide and maintain the precautions against fire that are necessary to safeguard those who use their workplace
nominate people to undertake specific roles as required by the emergency plan
consult their employees where people may be given specific roles and about proposals for improving fire safety
inform other employers who have workplaces in the same building of any significant risks they find which might affect their employees and co-operate with them as necessary
review the assessment every 12/14 months
Most workplaces are covered by the fire regulations. This puts responsibility on your employer to make sure that you and others are safe in the workplace if there is a fire.
But as employees you have responsibilities too. When you are at work employees should:
understand and comply with safety policies in your workplace
know what you should do if you discover a fire or hear the fire alarm
know the arrangements for calling the fire brigade
familiarise your self with your workplaces escape routes and fire exit signs
know the locations and types of fire extinguishers and how to use them
keep fire doors closed to stop the spread of fire, heat and smoke
not smoke in "No Smoking" areas and make sure cigarettes are fully extinguished
report your ideas for reducing the risk of fire in your workplace
remind yourself of the fire safety issues affecting your workplace