The Regulatory (Fire Safety) Reform Order 2005 is the legislation applicable to England and Wales, covering adequate standards of fire safety. The key outcome from this statutory document is that responsibility is placed upon individuals to carry out risk assessments to identify, manage and reduce the risk of fire.
Responsibility for compliance with the Fire Safety Order rests with the 'responsible person'. This will be anyone who has a degree of control over certain areas within the premises. This could be the owner, employer or occupier. If there is more than one responsible person in any type of premises, all must take all reasonable steps to work with each other.
If you are the responsible person, you must carry out a fire risk assessment which must focus on the safety incase of fire of all relevant persons. Owners and proprietors of equine establishments including - riding schools, livery yards and equestrian centres will have to identify risks that can be removed or reduced and to decide on the nature and extent of the general fire precautions you need to take to protect people against the fire risks that remain.
The Fire Safety Order does not include or require the safety of animals from fire to be a mandatory part of your statutory fire risk assessment. However, generally the 'welfare of horses' as discussed in the Government's Horse Strategy Document for England and Wales does include the safety of animals from fire.
This legislation affects all equine activity whether being operated for business or pleasure. Although, private stables may not be covered, owners of these still have a 'duty of care' to visitors, such as farriers, vets and instructors.
To summarise, while not all premises must have a FRA under the FSO, justification not to have one is a morally questionable decision for equine owners to decide themselves.
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