Two jailed for fire safety breaches
Health & Safety update 14/07/2011
A hotel manager and an external assessor of fire risk have both
been jailed following fire safety offences.
David Liu, manager of the Mansfield-based Dial Hotel and Market
Inn, pleaded guilty to 15 breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire
Safety) Order 2005.
Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service officers visited the hotels
and found that the upper floors of both were being used for
sleeping, whilst the necessary fire precautions had not been
taken.
Deeming the arrangements to be a 'serious risk to life,' the
officers prevented any further use of the upper floors for sleeping
until fire safety improvements had been carried out.
External fire safety assessor John O’Rourke from Mansfield Fire
Protection Services was also prosecuted as he had carried out fire
risk assessments for both hotels. He had failed to flag up a number
of fire safety failings, which could have caused serious issues in
the event of a fire.
Both men were jailed for eight months following the hearing at
Nottingham Crown Court. Liu was ordered to pay costs of £15,000,
whilst O'Rouke was made to pay costs of £5,860.
The judge presiding over the hearing said that he wanted to send
a message to those hoteliers who were prepared to forgo safety in
favour of profit, and to those fire assessors who do not do their
job properly.