Fire Safety Law: What Has Changed
Fire safety in non-domestic premises in England and Wales is governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the FSO), which places the responsibility for fire safety on a 'responsible person' — typically the employer, owner, or anyone with a degree of control over the premises. This applies to you if you're a business owner, employer, self-employed, a charity, a landlord, or a contractor with control over part of a building.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire, two further pieces of legislation have strengthened these duties:
- The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the FSO applies to a building's structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and individual flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings.
- The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced additional duties for responsible persons of high-rise and multi-occupied residential buildings, including providing information to residents and the fire and rescue service, and carrying out regular checks on fire doors.
Whatever sector you work in, the responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out, kept under review, and acted upon — and that's where training comes in.
NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety
The NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety (previously known as the NEBOSH Fire Certificate) is designed for anyone with responsibility for fire safety — including managers, supervisors, facilities staff and health and safety professionals. The qualification is structured around three units:
- Managing health and safety — the foundations of health and safety management and the legal framework
- Fire safety and risk management — how fires start and spread, and how to control the risks
- Practical fire risk assessment — carrying out and documenting a fire risk assessment
What You'll Learn
Across the course, candidates learn how to:
- Carry out a fire risk assessment and use it to evaluate whether existing control measures are adequate
- Develop and apply a fire evacuation procedure suitable for the workplace
- Understand how fires start, spread and can be prevented
- Apply the principles of fire detection, warning and fighting equipment
- Understand the legal framework, including the FSO, the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
- Understand how fire investigations are carried out and what they aim to achieve
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs the NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety?
Anyone responsible for fire safety in their organisation — including facilities managers, health and safety managers, and business owners acting as the 'responsible person' under the Fire Safety Order.
How is the NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety different to a basic fire awareness course?
A basic fire awareness course gives general staff an understanding of fire risks and what to do in an emergency. The NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety is a more in-depth qualification aimed at those responsible for carrying out fire risk assessments and managing fire safety across a site.
Has fire safety legislation changed recently?
Yes — the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 both strengthened the duties of responsible persons, particularly for high-rise and multi-occupied residential buildings, following the Grenfell Tower fire.