Warning: new safety alarm regulations in Scotland

New smoke and CO safety alarm regulations in Scotland.

A warning has gone out to landlords with properties in Scotland, the new ‘Tolerable Standard’, which comes into effect on February 2022, requires that all homes in Scotland must have satisfactory safety equipment to detect fire and CO.

Trade association SELECT issued a warning jointly with another trade group in Scotland (SCOTSS):

All heat, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms being fitted under new legislation must comply with relevant product standards.

A smoke alarm should be placed on every storey, a heat alarm in the kitchen, and a CO alarm wherever there is a fuel burning appliance or flue.

In addition, all the heat and smoke alarms must be interlinked and be either mains-powered with battery back-up or battery powered by a tamper-proof long-life battery.

SCOTSS is now advising all landlords to make sure alarms are labelled and marked with the following:

Manufacturer’s name and address
Batch code/date of manufacture
Model number and type
The relevant standard number for the type of alarm installed

For heat detectors, products should be identified as compliant with ‘BS EN 5446-2’, while smoke alarms and multi-sensor alarms should be identified as compliant with ‘BS EN 14604’

CO alarms should be identified as compliant with ‘BS EN 50291-1’.

Multi-sensor alarms may also be identified as compliant with ‘BS EN 54-29’.