UK fire safety compliance hits 14 year low as 4 in 10 buildings fail basic checks

Almost half (43%) of buildings in England have failed their fire safety checks on the first visit in the past year, research has revealed. 

The study, carried out by safety experts, Direct365, analysed the latest Home Office Fire Statistics in England to reveal why so many buildings are failing audits and which regions are leading the way in safety.   

National safety standards have hit a 14 year low and fire safety compliance now stands at just 57%, marking a significant decline from 2016/17 when the satisfactory rate was 69%.  

Emergency routes and exits were cited as the primary cause of audit failure, with 10,323 breaches recorded in the past year. These breaches are given for hazards including blocked exits, locked fire exit doors, broken emergency lighting or wedged open fire doors.  

Maintenance failures were the second most frequent breach, accounting for 8,666 recorded instances. This reason for failure is given to premises which fail to perform fire alarm tests, service fire extinguishers or where fire doors do not operate properly.  

In third position, 8,471 breaches were recorded for inadequate or missing Fire Risk Assessments. Under Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order, an up-to-date fire safety assessment is a mandatory requirement for almost all commercial premises, yet it remains in the top three reasons for an audit failure.

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