Health and Safety Update (July 2009)
Shell Fined £300,000 for Fire Regulation Breaches
The London Fire Brigade has prosecuted Shell International Ltd
after two small fires occurred in three weeks at the Shell Centre
in York Road, London. The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to
pay costs of £45,000 after pleading guilty to serious breaches of
the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO). This is the
largest fine imposed under the RRO to date.
As a consequence of the fires, inspections were undertaken in
January 2007. The officers carrying out the inspections discovered
extensive breaches of the RRO, including blocked escape routes and
fire exits, defective fire doors and excessive fire loading. Due to
refurbishment work in the upper floors of the building, the fire
loading in the Shell Tower had increased drastically.
The deficiencies were such that the London Fire Brigade served a
prohibition notice on Shell, restricting the use of the Shell Tower
and basement levels. The effect of this was that only those people
working to directly address the fire safety deficiencies identified
were allowed to enter the parts of the building concerned. Access
for other employees and members of the public was forbidden until
the affected areas were considered to have been rendered safe. A
further inspection was carried out and the prohibition notice was
lifted when it was found that the safety defects had been
corrected.
In the course of the investigation, it came to light that
Shell's own fire risk assessment had not been reviewed or updated
since March 2003. The assessment undertaken back then had revealed
some of the same failings that were observed during the 2007
inspection. Fire risk assessments should be regularly reviewed as
risks may change over time. On average, they are likely to be
updated on a yearly basis.