CIOB welcomes the new Fire Safety Bill

The Home Office introduced a Bill to improve the Fire Safety of Buildings in England and Wales last week [19 March 2020].

Safety should always be a priority within the construction industry and this measure to improve the safety of buildings is to be welcomed. Following several high-profile failures in the industry where lives have been lost or put at significant risk, the construction industry has understandably come under increased scrutiny.

The new Fire Safety Bill has been amended to clarify that the responsible person or duty-holder for multi-occupied, residential buildings must manage and reduce the risk of fire. This includes reducing the risk of fire for the structure and external walls of the building, such as cladding, balconies and windows, as well as entrance doors to individual flats that open into common areas.

As the CIOB, we have been calling to improve the safety of buildings through high quality standards and this Bill provides the industry with the clarification it needs to deliver safer homes in terms of fire safety.

The ongoing work to improve standards and quality and Building Safety remains a priority at this challenging time.

You can read the government’s press release on the Fire Safety Bill here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fire-safety-bill