Fire certificates

Provides for the control of fire safety m all designated occupied premises, by ensuring that adequate general fire precautions are taken and appropriate means of escape and related precautions are present. Specifies the requirements for a fire certificate for various premises. 

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 gives the relevant fire authority the power to designate a place of work as premises requiring a fire certificate. This certificate will indicate the measures to be taken with respect to means of escape in the event of a fire when the structural design of... 

It will be permissible to apply the CE mark to sheets of High Pressure Laminate in accordance with the regulations contained in the European Construction Products Directive however, until European fire test methods and specifications are harmonized fire certification by individual countries still will be necessary. 

Fire Authority — fire prevention, means of escape and issue of Fire Certificates. However where the fire risk is in the process, enforcement is by the HSE. 

Fire officers have broadly similar powers except that they do not have authority to prosecute and their inspections are restricted to fire precaution matters, means of escape and the issue of Fire Certificates. 

Suitable fire safety signs to be posted to meet requirements of a Fire Certificate or the recommendations of a Fire Authority (additional signs may be necessary on the recommendations of fire insurers). Any signs provided must be kept maintained and in place. 

This section summarizes the main requirements of the Fire Precautions Act 1971 as amended by various legislation including the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987. The Act requires that premises that meet certain criteria must have a Fire Certificate. The premises involved include ... 

Fire Authority can make a charge for issuing a Fire Certificate. 

Once the Fire Certificate has been issued to the occupier it is to be kept on the premises. Any proposed building alterations that affect the certificate must be notified to Fire Authority before work commences. 

Transitional provisions with respect to Fire Certificates. 

Houses occupied as single private dwellings are exempt, but the fire authority have powers to make it compulsory for some dwellings to be covered by a fire certificate. 

Applications for fire certificates must be made on the prescribed form and the fire authority must be satisfied that the means of escape in case of fire, means of fire fighting and means of giving persons in the premises warning in case of fire are all adequate. Every fire certificate issued shall specify particular use or uses of the premises, its means of escape, details of the means of fire fighting and of fire warning and, in the case of factories, particulars of any explosive or highly flammable materials which may be... 

Stored or used on the premises. The certificate may impose such restrictions as the fire authority considers appropriate and may cover the instruction or training of persons in what to do in case of fire or it may limit the number of persons who may be in the premises at any one time. In certain circumstances the fire authority may grant exemption from the requirements to have a fire certificate, otherwise a copy of the fire certificate is sent to the occupier and it must be kept on the premises. The owner of the building is also sent a copy of the certificate. 

It is an offence not to have or to have applied for a fire certificate for any designated premises. Contravention of any requirement imposed in a fire certificate is also an offence. A person guilty of an offence (with some exceptions) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale and on conviction on indictment a fine or imprisonment or both. 

The coming into effect of The Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987 amended but did not replace the FPA and gave the Fire Authority much wider powers. These include the power to charge a reasonable fee for the initial issue, or the amendment or the issue of a new fire certificate (s. 8B). Even though premises may be exempt from the requirements for a fire certificate there are duties to provide both means of escape and means of fighting fire (s. 9A). In order to assist occupiers to meet these duties the Secretary of State may issue Approved Codes of Practice and the fire authority may serve Improvement Notices if they think a code is not being met (ss. 9A-9F). 

Most premises at which persons are at work require a fire certificate which is issued by the Fire Authority under the Fire Precautions Act. FHowever, for some premises, usually because of the quantities of hazardous substances being stored or used, the fire certificate will be issued by the Health and Safety Executive. 

An application for a fire certificate should be made by the responsible person (that is, the person having control of the premises who may or may not be the occupier). The particulars to be included in an application are listed in schedule 2 of the Regulations. Such matters as address and description of premises, nature of processes carried on, nature and quantities of explosives or highly flammable substances and maximum number of persons likely to be in any building are to be included. If required the applicant must furnish plans, not only of the premises to be covered by the certificate but also of adjoining premises. 

Where an application for a fire certificate has been made and all necessary plans furnished, it is the duty of the Executive to arrange for an inspection to be carried out. If the Executive is then satisfied that suitable means of escape and means of fire fighting are provided then a fire certificate shall be issued. 

When it is proposed to make any material change to the building or process which may affect matters specified in a fire certificate the HSE shall be informed in writing of the proposal before the change is made. 

A fire certificate is not required for any berth to which The Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations 1987 apply. 

No specific requirements in respect of fire, fire prevention, or fire precautions are contained in the HSW Act although under section 78 the Fire Precautions Act 1971 was extended to include places of work. This Act took over the fire clauses of the Factories Act, and Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, and introduced the requirement for a fire certificate rather than a means-of-escape certificate. 

Only premises in parts (a) and (f) must have a fire certificate before they can be brought into use and, except for one group in class (f), the local fire authority is responsible for the issue of a fire certificate. The issue of a fire certificate for places of work with high fire risk is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive . The issue of a fire certificate is conditional on the premises having a specified standard of fire safety. 

This has to be made on Form FPl (Rev) to the local fire authority. It is an offence to use premises not covered by a fire certificate except where an application has been made though the certificate may not have been issued nor refused. Before issuing a certificate the fire authority may inspect the building, ask for more information or plans and ask for remedial work to be carried out. 

The fire certificate may also Impose requirements relating to ... 

A number of Orders were made under the FPA which rationalised the requirements of section 6, contents of a fire certificate. Three of these were the Fire Precautions (Factories, Offices, Shops and Railway Premises) Order 1976 which applied to medium and large factories, offices and shops, the Fire Precautions (Hotels and Boarding Houses) Order 1972 ° and the Fire Precautions (Non-certificated Factory, Office, Shop and Railway Premises) Order 1976 which removed the requirement for a fire certificate from smaller industrial premises/offices. In a Regulation made under the HSW Act, the Fire Certificates (Special Premises) Regulations 1976 , the responsibility for the issue of a fire certificate for certain high risk premises was transferred from the fire authority to the HSE. 

Health and Safety Executive, Fire Certificates (Special Premises) Regulations 1976, HMSO, London (1976)... 

Guide to fire precautions in existing places of work that require a fire certificate... 

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