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General Bulletins
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LWF Professional Bulletin Feb 2009
LWF Professional Bulletin Feb 2009
MS EB 8 Management and Control of Contractors
This bulletin outlines the management and control measures that should be put in place to control contractors within your premise. It outlines typical procedural requirements for managing and controlling contractors and offers guidance on hot work systems.
MS EB 7 Emergency Evacuation Procedure
An emergency evacuation procedure is part of a fire safety management system (FSMS) comprising of various policies and procedures assisting in the development of fire safety management and identifying fire risks within a facility. Every employer or person with responsibility for a premises is responsible to ensure that reasonable measures for safe evacuation of able bodied and disabled persons in the event of a fire or emergency are in place. Therefore, it is essential that a robust emergency evacuation procedure be produced, implemented and monitored by competent people in order to prevent unwanted incidents causing death or injury. This bulletin outlines more detail about emergency evacuation procedures.
MS EB 6 Reforming fire safety law – is the long wait over?
In previous bulletins, we have explained how the bulk of current of fire safety legislation is confusing and, in some cases, contradictory. We have also described the probable impact of pending changes in fire safety law. Now, with the commitment of the Government and in particular the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), that the new legislation will come into force in April 2006, we can accurately predict the impact the law will have on you – and what support you can expect from the Government.
MS EB 5 The Role of the Fire Safety Manual
The management of fire safety within buildings is an area that must now receive greater priority. Due to the often complex nature of modern building design, the ever increasing use of fire engineered solutions and the sophisticated protection systems which are utilised to achieve an acceptable level of safety, it is unsurprising that confusion may occur during the lifetime of a building for those persons responsible for managing the building and the safety of its occupants. BS 5588 - Part 12: 2004 (Fire Protection in the design, construction and use of buildings - Managing Fire Safety) recognises this potential problem within its introductory paragraphs where it states: 'It is now widely acknowledged that the design and engineering put into a building for life safety can only do its job properly if it can be managed, maintained and tested over the whole life of a building, and if the staff are trained to handle incidents and operate effective and tested emergency plans'.
MS EB 4 Fire safety and the disability discrimination act
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA - 1995, Including amendments by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005) came into force on the 2nd of December 1996, and made requirements on employers and service providers relating to the provision of disabled access into and around buildings.
MS EB 3 An Introduction to BS 5588: Pt 12
When developing specifications for new-build and refurbishment projects, building designers and the design team rarely consider fire precautions beyond the Building Control approvals stage. The architects sole task is to design a building to meet the client’s aesthetic and functional demands. All involved assume that if prescriptive fire safety standards are met, then the design duty is similarly met. But fire safety is a process that concerns the whole life cycle of the building, from design through the various occupancies and uses to which the building is put for the whole of its working life. This bulletin looks at the building from its design and subsequent occupation onwards, to review what safety levels are needed at each stage. The bulletin also summarises the purpose and context of the new ‘Managing fire safety’ British Standard.
MS EB 2 The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister aims to introduce this Order to Parliament later this year and, subject to Parliamentary approval, the reforms are expected to come into force by Autumn 2005. The latest Professional Bulletin from LWF answers all your questions about the proposed new legislation. It explains how the new Order will complement existing fire legislation, and the effect it will have on current measures such as fire certificates and risk assessments. Other issues covered include- Fire risk assessments - how these will change Who will enforce this new legislation - and how Responsibility for on-site contractors Alterations to premises - implications
MS43 Fire Safety Reform, Are you Ready? 2
In our previous Bulletin, Fire Safety Reform Are you Ready?, we looked at imminent changes proposed to fire safety legislation in this country. We discussed the likely form of the legislation and in order to prepare for the obligations imposed on employers and building managers, we discussed the need for robust fire safety strategies to be put in place. In the previous bulletin we concentrated on the detail end of the strategy, i.e. what physically needs to be in place to achieve an acceptable audit trail to withstand detailed scrutiny, all this based around the Fire Risk Assessment process. In this bulletin we concentrate on higher-level issues that should drive fire safety strategies. Issues such as the development of a safety culture within the organisation and how this should be reflected by senior management support exemplified by clear policy and action.
MS42 Fire Safety Reform, Are you Ready?
Substantial change is imminent. The proposed sweeping reform of general fire safety legislation in England and Wales will affect employers and virtually all those responsible for non-domestic premises. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO) for England and Wales is expected in spring 2004. It will attempt to simplify, rationalise and consolidate existing legislation.