FOCUS
Avoiding risks With criminal charges and imprisonment possible
for breaching fire regulations,Mark Taylor explores ways in which these risks can be mitigated through competency and certification
Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 [FSO]. The majority of failures to comply with the FSO’s regulations are dealt with through formal/ informal enforcement, however, the possibility of prosecution and imprisonment are sobering reminders of the risks in failing to meet minimum fi re safety standards. In many sectors, high levels of responsibility
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for safety are matched by equally high levels of required training. Regular and rigorous knowledge testing, plus the awarding of qualifications, are in place to prove that individuals have the skills they need to meet clearly defi ned levels of profi ciency. It begs the question: why in our industry – where gaps in knowledge and failure to follow guidelines can have such dire consequences for life and property – do so few formal qualifi cations exist? Every year, new cases emerge where
failures to comply with the terms of the FSO are found to have ‘put one or more relevant persons at risk of death or serious injury in case of fi re’ (Article 32 [1] of the FSO). At the heart
24 MARCH 2018
www.frmjournal.com
NLIMITED FINES and up to two years in prison are the ultimate penalties for serious breaches of the Regulatory
of these incidents lie a number of sickeningly familiar, yet easily avoided mistakes. Among them are: locked/blocked fire exits and escape routes; poor/no staff fi re training; lack of/inadequate maintenance of fi re alarms; absence of fi re doors and emergency lighting; plus, in an overwhelming majority of cases, a lack of a suitable fi re risk assessment.
Fire risk assessments
In a perfect world, high quality fire risk assessments would be universally carried out and their requirements and recommendations carefully followed; staff would be thoroughly and regularly trained in fi re safety; and only the highest quality fire safety systems and equipment would be installed and maintained to industry leading standards. Reality is, of course, somewhat different, and
is typifi ed by shortcuts through time pressures, gaps in understanding and acceptance of inadequacies, which inevitably lead to fi re safety failures. Despite this somewhat gloomy picture, there is a great deal that can be done to ensure that quality fi re protection is in place
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