The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the law that covers general fire safety in England and Wales.

In Scotland, Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 covers requirements on general fire safety, supported by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

As employers (or building owners or occupiers) you're known as the ‘responsible person' and you must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and keep it up to date. Fire risk assessments in London can be carried out either as part of an overall health and safety risk assessment or as a separate exercise.

Based on the findings of the assessment, employers need to ensure that adequate and appropriate fire safety measures are in place to minimise the risk of injury or loss of life in the event of a fire.

Your fire risk assessment in London should identify what could cause a fire to start, i.e. sources of ignition (heat or sparks) and substances that burn, and the people who may be at risk.

For full information on the fire safety law, please see the HSE page and the government's fire safety law and guidance documents for business pages.