The Grenfell Enquiry will force a fundamental review of the existing fire legislation which has been in place since 2005. The potential outcomes could be very challenging for the events industry. It is entirely foreseeable that either all or large parts of Building Regulations will become directly applicable to Temporary and Demountable Structures.
The problem, as was the case for CDM will be that those tasks with redrafting new legally applicable standards will not necessarily have any knowledge of, or stake in, the events business.
The second aspect is that the required competencies for fire risk assessment is likely to be raised. At present there are insufficient numbers of competent fire risk assessors even for the existing law. The overall impact in these changes could be very costly and create a situation where event businesses are forced to take risk on compliance because the resources are not there to meet the new standards.
Before the events industry begins to debate this issue and prepares for any consultation on changes it is worth reviewing the current status of fire safety legislation and guidance as it applies to events.
The following is an overview and advice should always be sought from a competent professional regarding any particular venue or event.
