The Government has announced further measures to strengthen fire safety following on from the Grenfell tragedy.
These measures are the consequence of the Fire Safety Consultation which took place last year to inform the Government work on improving fire safety. The Government received feedback from over 250 stakeholders with an interest in building and fire safety, including residents, Responsible Persons and enforcing authorities.
Comment
The imposition of unlimited fines for breaches of the Fire Safety Order is a significant step change in the context of fire safety enforcement. To date, the sentencing of fire safety offences has been outside the remit of the Sentencing Guidelines for breaches of Health & Safety Legislation and fines historically have been considerably lower following prosecution than in connection with other Health & Safety related offences. This looks set to change with the most recent proposals from the Home Office, which will clearly support a tougher approach by Courts when sentencing Fire Safety Offences.