Time and time and again we are hearing about fires destroying lives and businesses, this is something that can be prevented and at macdonald-martin you can be assured that you are dealing with experts who can train you on the requirements needed to keep you and your business safe. Experts in the fire protection industry Macdonald Martin ensure that all their qualified fire safety consultants are kept upto date with all the legal requirements.
The team are highly qualified and have a fire service background, their wealth of experience are offered by macdonald-martin to ensure that the Fire Risk Assessment is done to a very high standard and will highlight any areas of your workplace which would leave you liable for prosecution.
Fire Risk Assessment
Be prepared, by defining and analyzing hazards. Although all hazards need to be identified and addressed limited resources will not normally allow this to happen at once. Fire Risk Assessments are used to establish which hazards are present and also the severity level, this then allows you to prioritise these hazards from High to Low.
The people involved in the Fire Risk Assessment should be knowledgeable about the area of the property or workplace that is being assessed. For example, one person could be responsible for the entire property and conduct a Fire Risk Assessment. Alternatively for a bigger property i.e. department store, a responsible person, for example a Manager or a Supervisor, could be responsible for a designated area.
Just recently there have been more convictions within the business sector which range from major high street retailers to small businesses and also HMO (Houses of Multiple Occupancy). This shows that the whole spectrum of the business world can be affected by not following Fire Legislation. Every business owner has a duty to their employee’s safety. Many business owners can find Health & Safety and Fire Safety Legislation a very grey area for them, after all this is not heir core skills, which is why there are many being caught out and unfortunately dealing with the consequences.
What’s the solution? Consult with the experts, qualified Fire Safety Consultants Macdonald Martin are experts in this field and are well respected by many. They can keep you and your business compliant and can offer an affordable Fire Risk Assessment which can save you money and ensure the safety of you and your employees.
Do fire regulations apply to you? Yes is the answer:
The regulations apply to all non-domestic premises including, but not limited to:
All premises that provide care Shops and Offices Community premises Schools and colleges Hotels and Hostels Factories and Warehouses
The list is endless, and all businesses, not just larger businesses are liable. Don't get caught out avoid prosecution by booking your Fire Risk Assessment or get some professional advice and reassurance visit http://www.macdonald-martin.co.uk
In High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and after pleading guilty to six charges relating to inadequate fire safety standards the owner and landlord of an HMO (house of multiple occupancy) was fined in excess of £10,000.
Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service had brought proceedings against Aftab Hussain after he failed to comply with an enforcement notice they had issued previosuly.The notice was issued because the property had inadequate fire detection, emergency lighting or fire fighting equipment. Mr Hussain had also failed to protect the means of escape.
Mr Hussain was prosecuted because he had failed to put these right in the timescale.
Station Manager Graham Field, Fire Saftey Team Leader for Wycombe and South Bucks said - "Prosecution is only considered in the utmost serious cases, or otherwise as a last resort, but will be pursued with the utmost vigour when necessary".
Yet again another High Street trader has admitted to failing to comply with fire
safety legislation and has been ordered to pay costs and fines totalling £28,500.
Following an electrical fire which started on the ground floor of the Bulwell store, breaches in the fire safety procedure was discovered. When six members of the staff on the first floor managed to evacuate to the roof, it was discovered that the escape ladder had been locked. Eventually they were able to break the lock and all staff but one escaped, with the remaining person was rescued by Nottinham Fire and Rescue.
Mark Huckerby of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue said - "Companies have an obligation to their staff, customers and visitors to keep their premises safe, and Iceland Foods clearly failed to do this. The fact that no-one was injured does not detract from the potential seriousness of this incident and when we investigated we were very concerned to find basic failures".
"I am pleased with the outcome and am sure that Iceland Foods will continue to tighten up on fire safety procedures at all of its stores as a consequence of this. I hope that it will also serve as a warning to other companies that may not take fire safety as serious as they should, and not comply with law".
A company in Ipswich was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs in
excess of £7,000 following a guilty plea to nine offences under the Fire
Safety Order.
These included an unsuitable risk assessment; inappropriate storage
of cylinders and fire doors wedged open; emergency routes blocked or
obstructed; exits not sufficiently illuminated; failure to maintain
structural fire precautions, alarm systems, emergency lighting and fire
fighting equipment; failure to appoint one or more competent persons to
assist in preventative and protective measures and inadequate fire
safety training provided to employees.
