Many Businesses Fail Fire Regulations
300 Westcountry Hotels failed fire checks according to a recent newspaper headline making those responsible for these buildings law breakers. Fire Regulations affect not just hotels and B&Bs but other leisure businesses as well as offices and commercial premises.
The result of not observing the regulations are obvious. Firstly and most devastatingly is the potential loss of life and injury. Secondly are the economic implications, as the South West is a tourist economy reliant on its repeat business and recommendations. Premises which are blatantly not safety and fire conscious are liable to a drop in business revenue. Thirdly, the enforcement agency can impose a fine or even a custodial sentence.
So why are businesses not complying with the regulations? Some suggest that ‘it will take years to bring the region’s portfolio of hotels and B&Bs up to speed with the regulations’ and that the regulations are ‘confusing’ and ‘expensive to implement’.
The Regulations are in essence clear;
- a duty to carry out a risk assessment;
- to take general fire precautions;
- eliminate and reduce risks from dangerous substances;
- establish fire safety procedures;
- install and maintain fire fighting and detection equipment and
- install emergency exits and provide training.
All this is largely common sense and the actions of any responsible employer or individual. The detail however lies in individual guidances which can be involved and detailed which are specific to various types of business eg hotels or cinemas.
One difficulty is identifying the person who is responsible for following the regulations. The regulations identify a ‘responsible person’ who may be an employer, owner, or even a third party.
Where a building is occupied by more than one business each business must have a responsible person for the different parts they occupy. So if a commercial Landlord lets units within a building for example, to a gym, a coffee shop and a cinema there may be 4 responsible persons, one for each premises and the landlord for the common parts. This may lead to some confusion.
The owner and/or occupier of premises must consider whether they are satisfied that the premises are observing all the fire regulations. Once a person is identified as the person responsible for the whole or parts of the premises they must ensure compliance. If they are unsure of the extent of alterations or equipment required despite the guidance supplied, then asking specialist consultants may save unnecessary expenditure.
It is however easy to speculate that the biggest reason for non-compliance is unintentional and that is because the regulations operate on a system of self-assessment and self-management. It is not seen as a priority task.
Time and money are the regulations’ enemies but in the event of a fire, both may become tragically irrelevant.
Published 11/12/2007. The author of this article is Julia Green
