Guides designed to help employers comply with their new responsibilities for fire safety may not all be available before the new legislation comes into force in October.

New fire safety rules affecting all business premises in England and Wales will come into force under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO), the biggest overhaul of fire safety legislation in decades. As previously reported, the RRO was originally due to come into force in April this year, but in January the ODPM announced it was delaying the legislation to give business and stakeholders more time to prepare.

The Government had committed to releasing eleven fire risk assessment guides to help businesses prepare three months in advance of the new legislation, but delays in the publication of the guidance led to a delay in the commencement date.

It now seems likely that at least half of the guides will not be published by the intended timetable of three months before the legislation comes into force. The guides which are likely to be ready are those covering offices and shops, factories and warehouses, sleeping accommodation, residential care and small/medium places of assembly (which includes pubs, clubs, community and religious centres). Those which are likely to be delayed, possibly until after October, are those covering educational premises, large places of assembly, theatres and cinemas, healthcare premises, transport premises and outdoor events.

The legislation itself has already been laid before Parliament, and is not likely to be delayed further than the current commencement date of 1 October 2006.