The Fire Safety Act 2021 came into force on 16 May 2022. It is short, but it settled an important question: in any building containing two or more sets of domestic premises, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to the structure, the external walls (including cladding, balconies, windows and anything attached to them) and the entrance doors to individual flats that open onto common parts.
What changed in practice
Fire risk assessments for blocks of flats must now consider the external wall system and the flat entrance doors. An assessment that stops at the corridor is no longer suitable and sufficient. In many cases the assessor will need to recommend a specialist external wall appraisal (a PAS 9980 assessment) and a fire door inspection programme rather than attempt to assess them from the ground.
The prioritisation tool
Because thousands of assessments needed updating at once, government issued the Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool to help responsible persons decide which buildings to reassess first, based on height, cladding type, occupancy and other risk factors. Using it and recording the result is a defensible way to programme the work.
Flat entrance doors
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 built on the Act by requiring annual checks of flat entrance doors in buildings over 11 metres, using best endeavours to gain access. A door check covers the self-closer, the seals and strips, the gaps, the glazing and any damage. Findings feed into a replacement or repair programme.