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 which 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.
ccording 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 step up their behaviour, encourage all employees to take fire safety seriously and hold more regular fire drills.
David Geer, UK business director at RSA, said: “Our research revealed a much higher level of apathy about fire safety among workers throughout the country than we had hoped. 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 staff are made acutely 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 livelihoods.”
Source: A quarter of workers have never had full fire drill says survey
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Landlord, tenant and restaurant manager convicted of fire safety offences
The landlord, tenant and manager of a Chinese restaurant have together had to pay more than £26,000 at Guildford Crown Court for breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Landlord Colin Perry, his tenant Pei Yu Liang, and manager Wen Chun Yeoh, were last week each convicted of between seven and nine breaches of the legislation, having all pleaded not guilty. Mr Perry was ordered to pay a £5,000 fine and another £5,000 in costs, while Ms Yeoh was fined £4,000 plus £5,000 in costs. Lessee Pei Yu Laing was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs.
The Royal Phoenix Chinese Restaurant, in Tadworth, was found to have no safe escape route from the first floor, an “inadequate” fire alarm system and “inadequate” emergency lighting. The building was in a poor state of repair with areas of high fire loading, while one room was found to contain a stack of bamboo chairs, a petrol strimmer and signs of discarded smoking materials.
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service took action in March 2007 following an inspection of the premises. A prohibition notice served previously on the first floor of the premises, which prevented people from sleeping in a dangerous building, was being breached.
Eddie Roberts, Surrey Fire and Rescue’s group manager for protection, said: “This case highlights that liability for fire safety measures can be shared and may not be the sole responsibility of the occupier of the business premises. Responsible persons have a legal obligation to comply with the [Fire Safety Order] and where their responsibilities are not taken seriously, we will consider prosecution.”
Source: Landlord, tenant and restaurant manager convicted of fire safety offences
More from MG Training: Fire Safety
