by Brianna Crandall — July 8, 2011—U.K. employers are potentially putting their employees’ lives at risk by cutting back on fire safety in the current economic climate, according to a survey recently conducted by the Fire Industry Association (FIA). Almost a fifth of bosses admitted to revising fire safety procedures in the current economic climate, such as delaying maintenance checks of fire safety equipment, reducing staff training, or delaying updating their fire risk assessments, despite the fact that 20 percent of them had already had a fire in their premises.
Of those surveyed, 16 percent admitted to not having an up-to-date fire risk assessment, and a quarter do not know who does their fire risk assessment. A third of staff surveyed said they do not know what to do in the event of a fire, and over half of respondents do not know how to use a fire extinguisher or fire alarm. A quarter of workers reportedly do not know where their nearest fire exit is, and a third do not know where their fire assembly point is. The poorest performing industries from a fire safety point of view are the arts & culture and travel & transport sectors, according to the survey.
The survey results have prompted the FIA to warn employers of the perils of ignoring fire safety and to inform employees about what they can do to demand better fire safety in their workplace. Graham Ellicott, CEO of the Fire Industry Association, says, “The figures are very worrying; 82 percent of employees would like more training on fire safety and 14 percent don’t believe their company has ANY fire protection. We would like to remind all businesses across the country to review their fire risk assessments, making sure they are up to date, and to continue the maintenance schedule for all their fire safety equipment.
“It may seem like a good opportunity to save money, but it is actually about saving lives; you have a legal duty with regard to fire safety and could face a large fine or imprisonment if you are found to be putting people’s lives in danger by failing to comply with the law, although 55 percent of those responsible for fire safety admitted to not fully understanding these penalties. But it doesn’t stop there, as 80 percent of businesses that have a serious fire don’t reopen and thus jobs are lost, which impacts directly on the wider community.”
The Fire Industry Association (FIA) has just published a complimentary Best Practice Guide to Fire Safety to help those responsible for fire safety in all types of commercial premises understand their duties under fire legislation in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Copies and further information on fire safety in general are available from FIA.
