Hi, 

I work at a dental practice which is set up like a house. We have a three surgery set up set over three floors. Its a small practice. It is a listed building. We have smoke alarms in the reception first floor and second floor and emergency lighting. Do smoke alarms suffice? Any patients with poor mobility are seen on ground floor. A shout is audible from the first floor to second floor. We have had a RA done who has said we are "not compliant" we were under the impression fire alarm systems are not a legal requirement. 

Help! 

On 04/11/2024 at 18:46, Guest emma green said:

Hi, 

I work at a dental practice which is set up like a house. We have a three surgery set up set over three floors. Its a small practice. It is a listed building. We have smoke alarms in the reception first floor and second floor and emergency lighting. Do smoke alarms suffice? Any patients with poor mobility are seen on ground floor. A shout is audible from the first floor to second floor. We have had a RA done who has said we are "not compliant" we were under the impression fire alarm systems are not a legal requirement. 

Help! 

The risk assessor is correct and reflects the Government guidance that sets out requirements in small premises - domestic smoke alarms are for homes not places of work:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-your-small-non-domestic-premises-safe-from-fire

Means of giving warning in the event of a fire

In single storey premises with open plan layouts and small numbers of people, the alarm could be raised by shouting ‘fire’. Alternatively, the alarm could be raised manually, using a hand-operated bell or siren. In premises of more than one storey, where the above method of giving warning would be unreliable, an electrical fire alarm system should be installed. These systems should have ‘break glass’ call points and fire alarm sounders, connected to a control panel.

In premises of more than one storey, where a fire might start and be undetected in its early stages, the fire alarm system might need to incorporate automatic fire detectors. These will generally be smoke detectors or, in the case of kitchens or other rooms in which smoke detectors would cause false alarms, heat detectors).