Are Your Fire Safety Actions Up To Date?
Watson Alarms always aim to provide our customers with the best advise and recommendations not only to ensure a fully working fire alarm system but also a compliant system based on our interpretation of BS5839:2017 Part 1 for Commercial Premises and BS5839:2019 Part 6 for Residential Premises.
When it comes to installing/ repairing/ maintaining Fire Alarm Systems there are legal responsibilities placed upon our individual Engineers, Watson Alarms as a business as well as the duty holder of the building where we are working.
The article below provides an example of what can happen if you do not comply with current Fire Safety Legislation: –
Bicester business owner fined following fire safety breaches
In October 2020, fire safety inspectors from Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service conducted an assessment at the premises. Their findings indicated that Miss Isabelle Taylor, the business owner, had neglected to conduct a proper fire risk assessment, failed to safeguard escape routes in the event of a fire, and neglected to maintain a functional fire alarm and detection system.
This equestrian yard, situated on the ground floor, also featured two flats on the first floor designated for staff accommodation. Subsequent to a fire incident, a fire safety audit was carried out under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The inspection revealed such severe safety lapses that the authorities had no choice but to prohibit sleeping on the premises until requisite safety measures were implemented.
The proprietor of an equestrian facility in Bicester recently incurred a £5,000 fine for violating fire safety regulations, thereby endangering lives. The case was adjudicated at Oxford Magistrates Court on January 2, 2024.
In October 2020, fire safety inspectors from Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service conducted an assessment at the premises. Their findings indicated that Miss Isabelle Taylor, the business owner, had neglected to conduct a proper fire risk assessment, failed to safeguard escape routes in the event of a fire, and neglected to maintain a functional fire alarm and detection system.
This equestrian yard, situated on the ground floor, also featured two flats on the first floor designated for staff accommodation. Subsequent to a fire incident, a fire safety audit was carried out under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The inspection revealed such severe safety lapses that the authorities had no choice but to prohibit sleeping on the premises until requisite safety measures were implemented.
As a result, the authorities took swift action, ordering the immediate evacuation of the flats on safety grounds through a prohibition notice, effectively prohibiting their use for sleeping.
In December 2022, Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service conducted a follow-up inspection, only to discover that Miss Taylor was still in violation of the prohibition notice. Despite the clear directive, staff were still being allowed to sleep in the building.
This breach led to a court appearance on January 2, 2024, where Miss Taylor was found guilty of four charges under fire safety legislation. While she received a conditional discharge for three charges, a £5,000 fine was imposed for the remaining one. Additionally, she was directed to cover total costs amounting to £4,969.50.
Councillor Dr. Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, emphasized the increasing trend of businesses neglecting fire safety measures, especially in accommodations above their premises. Dr. Ley stressed that business owners have a legal obligation to implement fire safety measures, highlighting the commitment to taking necessary actions to ensure the safety of occupants, residents, and customers.
The issuance of a prohibition notice serves to restrict the use of any premises offering accommodation that falls short of accepted fire safety standards. Responsible individuals, whether business owners or employers, must acknowledge their duty of care to guarantee the safety and suitability of the accommodations they provide.
More details on the case can be found here.
In Scotland a Duty Holder who has official responsibilities in the relation to the day-to-day control of the premises. These include ensuring a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) has been carried out to comply with Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
Even if you have had a Fire Risk Assessment carried out previously it is recommended that the FRA should be updated either when there is significant change to the layout of the building or change of use of the building and/or every 2 years.
There are many different items which are covered by an FRA however one of them, is to assess if the category of Fire Alarm System installed is best suited for the type and use of the building and to ensure that the system is under a maintenance contract with a competent individual testing the system on a 6 monthly basis. The customer also has responsibilities including carrying our weekly tests of manual call points and logging all false alarm activations.
Watson Alarms continues to invest heavily in test equipment and training for our employees to ensure we have the `tools` and knowledge to offer our clients a reliable high level of service.
If you are unsure if your building/s complies with these requirements, please contact Watson Alarms and we will be pleased to either arrange for a free site survey to be carried out or we can direct you to one of the partners who specialise in area of your needs.
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