EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS
ESCAPE ARTIST
Fire safety legislation saves lives but only if employers fully understand and follow the rules. Here, Label Bar outlines the basic guidance on how to protect your workers in case of emergency.
In Britain in 2013/14, there were 22,200 fires in non-domestic buildings, many of which were workplaces, such as retail units (3,000 fires) restaurants, pubs and bars (2,200 fires) and industrial manufacturing plants (2,500 fires). As a result of these incidents, there were 17 fatalities and 1,083 injuries. Although it is impossible to plan for every possible contingency, a responsible fire safety plan is invaluable in the event of an emergency.
LEGAL ADVICE FOR
ENGLAND AND WALES (Note: There are slightly different guidelines for Scotland and Northern Ireland, but all of this advice still applies.)
As the owner or boss of a rented professional property, you become the ‘responsible person’ and therefore have a legal responsibility to provide your employees with a safe place to work. There are clear guidelines for all employers to follow, specified in the Fire Safety Regulatory Reform Order published in 2005. The ‘responsible person’ is accountable for the following:
• Regularly assessing the risk of fire in the workplace
• Notifying staff if and when fire safety risks are discovered
• Implementing fire safety precautions, managing how these measures are understood and carried out by staff and visitors
• Organising adequate emergency planning, including fire drills
• Planning adequate fire escape routes for staff and visitors
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As the ‘responsible person’, you may decide to delegate some of these tasks to someone else. It’s worth noting, however, that you will still remain culpable should your business fail to meet the Fire Safety Order’s criteria.
ESCAPE ROUTES In any fire safety policy, it’s worth having an individual section for escape routes as it is such an important part of workplace fire safety procedures. Ensure that you have as many safety escape routes as possible, and that fire safety labels and signs are in place to guide the staff to safety. Work out if every escape route is a viable option for every member of staff. Consider if anyone uses a wheelchair or is otherwise mobility impaired.
“ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE AS MANY SAFETY
ESCAPE ROUTES AS POSSIBLE.”
In the advent of a power shortage, have you ensured that emergency lighting will come on, guiding people to safety? If you only have one escape route, have you ensured that it is as fire resistant as possible? There is a lot to think about, but fire escape routes are worth spending a fair amount of time on.
“IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE ESCAPE ROUTE, HAVE YOU ENSURED THAT IT
IS AS FIRE RESISTANT AS POSSIBLE?”
WHAT IF A FIRE INSPECTION
DOESN’T GO SO WELL? Upon inspection, if the fire safety authority finds your premises to be sub-standard, rather than dolling out fines or other obtrusive actions, they are more likely to give you advice on your premises, telling you how you can meet the regulations. If the fire safety in your workplace is considerably bad, you will receive a formal notice.
If the fire safety standards are dire, you may be compelled to cease any high-risk activities. The nature of these activities would be defined as anything that poses an imminent threat to anyone in the building. You can appeal these orders, but they can impede business and damage profits—something no business owner wants.
The more careful planning and safety precautions we carry out, the safer and happier everyone is. Last year, 17 people died in non-domestic building fires. As responsible employers, let’s get that number down to zero.
www.labelbar.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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