COVER STORY
only are able to work but want to do so. Work helps us all fulfil our potential and realise our ambitions.
Statistics indicate there are nearly seven million people with disabilities of working age in the UK alone. In 2016, the UK employment rate among those with a permanent disability and of working age was 46.5% (4.1 million) - an increase of one million from the previous year. The Office of National Statistics reveals the number of unemployed people with disabilities is falling rapidly over the years.
Legislation is helping remove barriers which previously prevented the mobility—impaired from entering the workplace. Part M of the Building Regulations, access to and use of buildings sets out the legal minimum requirements for works to buildings. It provides a responsibility to developers, designers and owners of buildings to ensure that the building is accessible to everyone.
Today, building design incorporates ramp access and wider doorways for wheelchair users.
However, a sharper examination is often neglected in how those people can evacuate a building in an emergency.
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ENSURING SAFETY FOR EVERYONE UK employers are subject to the Occupational Safety
and Health (OSH) Act and therefore have what’s termed a ‘general duty’ to provide a workplace that is free from recognised and serious hazards. Put simply, it is not enough to ensure that your building is accessible.
Since the introduction of the Equality Act 2010, employers need to take reasonable steps to adjust the workplace to make it accessible for all.
This goes beyond merely ensuring that people can get into and move safely around the workplace but considers the structure and design of the building. In law, under the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997, it is the responsibility of the ‘Responsible Person’ – which is usually the person who owns or controls the business – to ensure all workers can be safely evacuated in an emergency.
The structural provisions of escape – such as fire stairs or escapes - are clearly inappropriate for people with mobility impairments. Evacuation equipment such as evacuation chairs along with the necessary training is therefore, vital. While not all situations may be life-threatening, certain situations can be distressing for someone unable to use the stairs. Without essential equipment and training, the risk of personal injury can be high.
Given the changes in the workforce profile, it is safe to conclude that safety measures during an evacuation must be considered a top priority by employers across the globe. Although these and, other age-related conditions can affect one’s physical capabilities in terms of mobility, it should not pose as a barrier to employment on health and safety grounds.
Evacuation chairs offer a simple and effective solution to ensure a safe exit from work for an increasingly diverse workforce as well as those in medical and care environments.
www.evac-chair.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsHS
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