Health & Safety Update (May 2010)
A quarter of workers have never had full fire drill says
survey
Employers are putting millions of UK workers at risk as a result
of lax fire safety procedures, warns insurance company RSA.
The firm commissioned research shows that a quarter of workers
have never participated in a full fire evacuation of their
workplace. One in 20 UK workers also said their workplace had no
marked fire exits at all.
According to the survey, over 40% of people said they would
spend time retrieving personal belongings or work documents before
vacating the building. One in ten workers said they sit at their
desks for more than a minute before getting up to leave the
building on hearing the alarm go off, regardless of whether they
believe there is a real fire or not.
RSA says not enough is being done to ensure that businesses
operate good fire safety practices in the UK. The company is
calling for businesses to improve, encourage all employees to take
fire safety seriously and hold more regular fire drills.
The research revealed a much higher level of apathy about fire
safety among employees throughout the country than expected. It is
crucial in the case of fire safety that companies not only evacuate
employees from the workplace quickly and efficiently in an
emergency, but also make sure that employees are made aware of fire
safety procedures and the location of their nearest fire exit.
Businesses that do not take fire safety seriously are risking
their employees' lives and their own livelihoods.
Check out the following examples:
Huge fine for supermarket giant
A supermarket giant has been fined £95,000 and ordered to pay
over £24,000 in costs after pleading guilty to five breaches of the
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).
London Fire Brigade was called to a fire at a store in Barnet on
14 October 2007. When they arrived they found the premises locked
but managed to gain access after attracting the attention of an
employee who was restocking shelves. There had been a fire in the
staff kitchen but it had been put out by staff using extinguishers
and a fire blanket. There was still a significant amount of smoke
in the kitchen, the corridor and staff locker rooms and crews had
to ask staff several times to evacuate the premises.
This incident made officers concerned about fire safety in the
store, so on the following day they inspected the premises. A
number of breaches of fire safety legislation were found, including
a failure to review the store's fire risk assessment, a failure to
ensure escape routes and exits were kept clear and inadequate fire
separation due to doors being wedged open. There was also storage
of combustible materials under an emergency stairwell.
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: "Fire safety is a key
part of good business management and the general public should feel
safe from fire when they are out shopping. London Fire Brigade will
continue to take action when businesses, large or small, do not
take their fire safety responsibilities seriously. Failure to
comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a
prosecution."
And:
Business group fined £210k over "potential death
trap"
A judge has castigated a consumer-owned business giant for
showing a lamentable approach to fire safety.
The organisation was served a £210,000 fine and ordered to pay
costs of more than £28,000 after it pleaded guilty on 26 April to
six breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The offences were brought to the attention of Hampshire Fire and
Rescue Authority after it carried out fire-safety inspections at
one of the stores. The Authority found the rear emergency exit
doors locked and a lock requiring a security code on the emergency
door between the retail and storage areas. Officers also noted that
the Group had failed to ensure that the store manager was given
suitable and sufficient fire safety training and had failed to
ensure that the fire alarm system underwent regular testing.
Southampton Crown Court heard that breaches also occurred at two
other Southampton premises, and a store in Portsmouth. Summing up,
the Judge said the case demonstrated a lamentable approach to fire
safety, and that the Group had been responsible for a potential
death trap, given the severity of the fire-safety failings.
Commenting on the type of problems it has witnessed in general
since the Fire Safety Order came into force, the Authority's chief
officer John Bonney highlighted "blocked or locked exits, poorly
maintained fire-escape staircases, lack of staff fire training,
storage of combustible materials in boiler rooms, lack of fire
alarms, lack of emergency lighting, lack of fire doors and, in far
too many cases, lack of suitable fire risk assessment".
London courts ordered individuals, small businesses and large
companies to pay more than £1 million in fines and costs in
2009 for breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.
London Fire Brigade says the record figure shows how
seriously the courts are taking issues of fire safety, and
highlights the need for those in charge of premises to find out
more about and act on their responsibilities.
High profile cases last year included a leading Petroleum
supplier being fined £300,000 and a high street clothes store
paying more than £500,000 in fines and costs following a fire at
one of their London branches in April 2007.
In two cases last year, people were given jail sentences
for breaches of the Fire Safety Order.
You need to take the issue of fire in the workplace seriously.
The last thing you want is to put your employees or your business
at risk. Nor do you want enforcement action from the fire
authorities.
We can help you - we provide a comprehensive fire risk
assessment service and fire training courses to your specification.
Call our Advice Service or your consultant for more
information.