Health & Safety at Work Act

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, also referred to as HASAW or HSW, is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the United Kingdom

The Home Office has released a guide titled "A Guide to Making Your Small Block of Flats Safe from Fire" in consultation with experts from the fire, business, and housing sectors. The purpose of this guide is to provide advice and suggestions to aid in complying with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (as amended). It is important to note that it is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with the legislation and seek legal advice if needed.

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A Guide to Making Your Small Block of Flats Safe from Fire offers easy-to-follow and practical advice for individuals who are responsible for fire safety in small blocks of flats to comply with fire safety regulations and keep their premises safe from fire.  

Such persons include:

  • social housing provider
  • private sector landlords
  • freeholders
  • resident management companies
  • right to manage companies
  • managing agent

This guide focuses on small, general needs blocks of flats that:

  • were constructed as a purpose-built block of flats; or
  • were converted into a block of flats in accordance with the 1991, or later, versions of the Building Regulations; and
  • were, in either case, designed on the basis of a ‘stay put’ strategy, whereby, in the event of a fire in one flat, occupants of other flats are normally safe to remain within their own flats.

The guide is applicable to three-story blocks with not more than six flats, comprising a ground, first, and second floor.

The Home Office has released a guide titled "A Guide to Small Non-Domestic Premises Safe from Fire" in consultation with experts from the fire, business, and housing sectors. The purpose of this guide is to provide advice and suggestions to aid in complying with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (as amended). It is important to note that it is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with the legislation and seek legal advice if needed.

Download the Guide

A Guide to Making Your Small Non-Domestic Premises Safe from Fire has been published to assist persons responsible for fire safety in small non-domestic premises to comply with fire safety legislation and make their premises safe from fire.

The Home Office has released a guide titled "A Guide to Making Your Small Paying-Guest-Accommodation Safe" in consultation with experts from the fire, business, and housing sectors. The purpose of this guide is to provide advice and suggestions to aid in complying with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (as amended). It is important to note that it is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with the legislation and seek legal advice if needed.

Download the Guide

A Guide to Making Your Small Paying-Guest-Accommodation Safe aims at providing practical advice for persons responsible for fire safety in small premises that have simple layouts, limited fire risks and a small number of bedrooms designated as guest sleeping accommodation for short-term lets, such as small bed and breakfast, guest houses and self-catering accommodation.

The guidance applies to:

  • single premises of ground floor, or ground and first floor, providing sleeping accommodation for a maximum of 10 persons, with no more than four bedrooms on the first floor, such as houses, cottages, and chalets.
  • individual flats (whether within a purpose-built block of flats or a house that has been converted into flats), other than unusually large flats (e.g. as often found in mansion blocks in London).

The principles and recommendations in the guide can also be applied to smaller outdoor accommodations such as: holiday caravans, camping and glamping pods, bothies, lodges, shepherds’ huts, tents, tree houses and yurts.

The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcing the Act and a number of other Acts and statutory instruments relevant to the working environment.

As a person responsible for premises, it is important that you are aware of and compliant with this legal document.

Click here Health and Safety at Work Act.

Premises Guides. Which one applies to you?
Other Guidance

Health & Safety at Work Act

Related Downloads
Building Regulations Approved document B (Fire Safety):
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Building Regulations Approved document M (Access to and use of buildings):
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