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This document aims, in general terms, to give a very broad overview as to
the clear benefits of, and reasons for ensuring that your fire detection
and fire fighting equipment is supplied and maintained by appropriately
accredited businesses and done so in accordance with the various guidance,
standards and legislation that is applicable.
The reader is also referred to our Guidance Sheet "Effective
Fire Fighting: The Economic Argument" which details the very good
commercial reasons why having and maintaining an effective level of fire
fighting equipment is clearly prudent.
Without the proper accreditation and compliance in place to reassure you,
how are you to be assured that things are being done properly?
Without doubt, the main reason why it is a good idea to ensure that there
is the proper accreditation and compliance is to reassure you - to give
you complete peace of mind.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (“RRFSO”)
applies to the vast majority of businesses. This makes it the legal duty
of the Responsible Person to ensure the competence of those who ensure the
adequacy of, and maintain the fire detection and fire fighting equipment.
It is current legal opinion that this can normally only be reliably
fulfilled by ensuring your suppliers in these areas have appropriate
independent UKAS-accredited third party accreditation.
More information on the RRFSO can be found here.
Much legislation refers to the adequate provision of suitable fire
detection and fire fighting equipment and it’s proper maintenance. This
legislation includes the RRFSO and much of the other
legislation listed here.
Having the equipment manufactured, installed and maintained in accordance
with the relevant British Standards ensures that it will be deemed to be
‘suitable’ and ‘adequate’ and that it is ‘properly maintained’.
Appropriate certification by a UKAS-accredited
independent third party guarantees this.
Not having your fire detection/fighting equipment supplied, installed and
serviced to the British Standards may therefore be in breach of the law.
The insurance industry is very heavily committed to the implementation of
the various British Standards that apply in this area. Indeed, their trade
association, the Association of British Insurers (“ABI”)
sits on many committees, is co-responsible for the authoring of British
Standards and is heavily affiliated to many of the trade associations
applicable to this trade.
Accordingly, a failure to have equipment manufactured, installed and
maintained in accordance with the relevant British Standards is likely to
be a breach of many insurance policies. Needless to say, where this is a
contributory factor, this may well have the effect of invalidating your
insurance and resulting in no cover.
In addition to the obvious direct consequences as above, a lack of
insurance cover can of course also place companies in further breach of
other insurance requirements, legislation and contractual agreements.
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