15 May 2012
Fire minister Bob Neil has had to intervene in a dispute over how to improve fire safety standards between an enforcing authority and a responsible person at an unnamed hotel.
The two parties are at odds regarding the decision of whether to fit intumescent strips and smoke seals on 167 bedrooms in the hotel.
The argument centres around the requirement of article 9 of the Fire Safety Order, which outlines that the responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks from fire, as well as recording the measures that will be taken.
Mr Neil has urged the responsible person to prepare a new risk assessment and justify why intumescent trips and smoke seals are not needed.
His ruling, based on article 36 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, claimed that the measures are unwarranted due to their high cost and minimal potential safety improvements.
Copyright Press Association 2012