Fire Drills in HMOs

[SidM]

Does the Order cover fire drills in HMOs where the relevant persons are only tenants & there are no employees?

[kurnal]

Good question.
Article 7(3)  states that articles 19 (provision of information to employees ) and 21 (provision of training) only apply to RPs who are employers.
Whereas the requirement for the RP to give effect to appropriate procedures, including safety drills, applies to all responsible persons and is set out in article 15 of the FSO.

So yes on the face of it drills are required in the common parts of a HMO to which the Order applies. But in the same way that the Order also says all fire exits must open outwards there is sense and reason in its application.

 The Lacors guidance points out that this duty is unlikely to extend beyond advising residents of what to do in the event of a fire and how to contact the fire brigade. 

[SidM]

Thanks Kurnal, how would this extend in to a hostel where people are employed & relevant persons are also present on the premises?

[kurnal]

Then it all ties back to the emergency plan. This will list duties and responsibilities of all staff in an emergency and the staff will need training and drills commensurate with their duties.
It may or may not be necessary to involve the residents in the drills- but I  suggest it is essential to tell them what is going on. If you operate the alarm for a drill and someone forgets to turn off the chip pan  or falls down stairs in their panic they may try and blame you. In a workplace they would not have a leg to stand on but our friends the no win no fee solicitors may think they have enough grounds to take you on. And you can bet your insurers would pay up rather than fight it.

[PhilB]

Could I ask why you want to have fire drills in an HMO?...and why use the fire safety order for premises that are aedquately covered by other legislation?