Fire Prosecutions on the increase - Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
In the last two years (Oct 2006 –2008) there have been 42 prosecutions in the UK against companies failing to comply with the Fire Safety Order. Additionally, fire services have issued 3,800 enforcement notices during the same period.
A number of common trends emerged including: blocked or locked exits, poorly maintained fire escape ladders/staircases, lack of staff fire training storage of combustible materials in boiler rooms, lack of fire alarms, lack of emergency lighting, lack of fire doors and in many cases lack of suitable fire risk assessment.
Recent prosecutions include:
• A major food and retail chain has been fined £250,000 for a range of fire safety failings at six of their stores. An investigation revealed a range of fire safety breaches at the six stores including: no fire alarm system locked fire escape doors and a poorly maintained fire escape ladder. The chain pleaded guilty to 13 offences under fire safety legislation. The company was fined £20,000 for each of 11 serious breaches and £15,000 each for two other failings. It was also ordered to pay the Fire and Rescue Service £11,167 in costs.
Download the full report below. Source - FPA Fire Risk Management Journal