Fire Safety Matters and Blackhurst Budd organise digital conference on ‘Enforcing the Fire Safety Order’

Running for two hours from 10.30 am on Thursday 13 May, the online conference will see Warren Spencer (managing director of Blackhurst Budd Solicitors) and his colleague, solicitor James Aird, present seven Case Studies, outlining the issues that arise from fire safety-centric prosecutions, defence cases and enforcement notice appeals.

For each Case Study, Spencer will explain in detail the decision-making processes along with the legal and factual issues which arise in fire safety-related cases. There will be a focus on identifying the correct ‘Responsible Person’, the responsibilities of other individuals with control over premises, the attitude of the courts and the numerous points raised by both appellants and defendants in response to the enforcement authorities’ outlined cases.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is a statutory instrument applicable in England and Wales placing the responsibility on individuals within an organisation to carry out risk assessments designed to identify, manage and reduce the risk of fire. The Fire Safety Order was made law on 7 June 2005 and came into force on 1 October 2006.

Guidance for businesses is available in the form of 16 Government-published documents, with general guidance, a five-step checklist and 12 documents pertaining specifically to a particular type of business premises. On 5 January 2016, responsibility for fire and rescue policy transferred from the Department for Communities and Local Government to the Home Office, with the latter then assuming responsibility for the guidance.

Fire safety enforcement cases     

A regular guest on the Fire Safety Matters Podcast, Spencer has worked on over 200 cases prosecuted under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. In point of fact, no other individual can claim a more extensive case load on this particular subject.

Importantly, there’s also going to be a Question and Answer session based upon the issues raised by the various Case Studies. Attendees will have a unique and fascinating opportunity to obtain Spencer and Aird’s views of the difficulties and challenges involved in conducting fire safety enforcement cases. The Blackhurst Budd legal team will also be offering practical guidance as to how to ensure compliance with the Fire Safety Order and, therefore, minimise potential liability.

*Places for this digital conference are limited and cost £99+VAT per ticket. If you would like to register to attend, please click on this link and then hit the ‘Next’ button

*If you would like to pay via an alternative method please contact Fiona Western via e-mail at: fjwestern@westernbusiness.media