Legislation Updates
Allergen Labelling
Changes to the requirements around allergen labelling of food came into force from 1st October 2021. Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food will have to clearly display the following information on the packaging:
- Name of the food
- Full ingredients list, with
- Allergenic ingredients emphasised (for example in bold, italics or a different colour)
PPDS is food which is packaged at the same place it is offered or sold to consumers and is in this packaging before it is ordered or selected. It can include food that consumers select themselves (e.g. from a display unit), as well as products kept behind a counter and some food sold at mobile or temporary outlets.
Free online allergen training is available for businesses through the Food Standards Agency website to help them meet these requirements. Queen Mary food outlets producing packaged items have since implemented changes to their labelling.
Read more about the requirements here.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulations 1992 Amendment
From 6th April 2022, employers’ duties to provide PPE will extend to workers with a casual employment relationship (limb (b) workers). Workers will be required to use the PPE properly, following training and instruction from their employer.
The duty otherwise remains the same:
- PPE is a last resort if the hazard cannot be eliminated or isolated.
- PPE must be compatible, maintained, correctly stored and used properly.
- Workers will need to be trained on the use of PPE.
See the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance and advice on PPE use in the workplace here.
Fire Safety Act 2021
Following some ambiguity prior to the Fire Safety Act coming into force, the Act has now clarified that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) applies to the structure, external walls (including balconies, doors and windows) and flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises.
The act will require Responsible Persons of multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises to update their fire risk assessment to include an assessment of the building’s structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors. In some cases, a Responsible Person will be able to update the fire risk assessment themselves, however where the update requires an assessment of materials which make up a building’s external wall system the Responsible Person may need to contract a suitably competent fire risk assessor to undertake that assessment for them.
It is important that risk assessments are updated as quickly as practicable. A Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool has been produced to support the Responsible Persons to prioritise their buildings for an updated fire risk assessment.
The government intends to bring the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 into force on 23 January 2023. These regulations seek to implement the majority of the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower inquiry in their Phase 1 report. These regulations will be laid 18 May 2022.
The Building Safety Bill, which is currently being considered by Parliament, will provide an even stronger and more robust legislative framework which will improve building safety overall and strengthen the FSO.
These changes are being closely monitored by the Fire Safety Strategy Group, which is made up of representatives from the Fire Safety Team, Estates and Facilities as well as other stakeholders. In light of the Fire Safety Act, discussions to ensure fire risk assessments are reviewed to include more detailed information about building structure, external walls and flat entrance doors have started.
See here for information about the commencement of the Fire Safety Act and how it affects Responsible Persons and other.
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