British Standards

The main guidance on fire safety is contained in BS5588 'Fire Precautions in the Design and Construction of Buildings Part 8 - Code of Practice for Means of Escape for Disabled People' . It provides guidance on managing emergency escape procedures.

BS 5588 Part 8 is intended to provide guidance mainly for new buildings but the information can also be applied to existing buildings. Key principles embodied in this code of practice include the acceptance of the principle of assisted means of escape and the importance of management procedures. It contains recommendations on structural arrangements such as the provision of refuges, where people can wait in safety for assistance for specified periods and evacuation lifts. It is assumed that disabled people will enter and use the building independently, but that they may need help to escape in the case of an emergency as in most cases lifts will be switched off when there is a fire alarm.

Building Regulations, Part B – ‘Fire Safety’ (2006)

The design and construction of new buildings is governed by the Building Regulations (see section 8) and Part B deals with fire. The regulations also apply to extensions and major alterations to existing buildings.

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 guidance

This Order came into force in October 2006 – it places responsibility on building managers, event organisers and other providers to ensure that evacuation plans and means of escape are in place for all users of the building, including disabled people.

Guidance for different sectors (for example, offices and shops, hotels, transport premises, open air events and venues) has been produced, and is available from the Department for Local Government and Communities. Supplementary guidance is also available on means of escape via the same link.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1162115

The Fire Precautions Act, 1971

This Act specifies that places of employment must have suitable means of escape, suitable fire fighting equipment and suitable training for employees. This includes suitable provision for disabled employees too.

The Act requires fire certificates to be issued for designated premises (both new and existing buildings). In the case of shops, offices and factories this means premises where more than twenty people work (or more than ten people work elsewhere than on the ground floor).

Fire certificates require an identified evacuation procedure for all employees, which must include disabled employees. Such certificates may require that people employed in the building receive training on evacuation procedures.