The head of a North East company specialising in the development of audio equipment to meet fire and safety requirements says the revelation that some Government buildings have breached safety laws highlights the need for companies and public bodies to make sure they meet the proper standards.

Anthony Smith, Managing Director of Sunderland-based Current Thinking, says the BBC ‘Face the Facts’ programme which alleged that several government departments had been found in breach of fire safety legislation should serve as a warning of the need to take the law seriously...and the risk that individuals could face prosecution.

The BBC programme reported that serious fire safety failings had led to 20 enforcement notices being served on Crown premises since 2006—with one of the most recent involving Eland House in central London, the headquarters of the Department for Communities and Local Government which is responsible for fire safety.

Said Anthony Smith, who serves on the BSI committees setting the standards for voice alarms and fire telephones “This isn’t just a question of an embarrassment for some Government departments—it is genuinely a matter of life and death which should be heeded by all managers in the public and private sectors.

“The RRO (Regulatory Reform Order) on fire safety states that a “Risk Assessment” must be regularly performed to the current standards and this must be performed by a competent person; otherwise the fire authorities will nominate a responsible person—this is usually the Chief Executive Officers or Chief Financial Officer as they control the purse strings.

“Many buildings do not have a satisfactory evacuation plan or staff training and don’t take account of changes in the requirements of evacuation time, an area where voice alarm contributes significantly.
 
“In our work at BSI we try to lay down minimum acceptable standards for fire safety systems. However building owners and facilities managers often pay lip service to the changes, or in many cases do not know their legal obligation, and will continue not to until we get a high profile prosecution.

“In the prosecution of the company New Look involving a fire at its store in  Oxford Street in London, the Appeal Court made clear that that in a circumstance where no one dies,  it does not exclude a company or individuals from prosecution because they put people’s lives at risk.

“If installations are relatively new carrying out an assessment might be a fairly simple task but there is no doubt that in many workplaces that is not the case and equipment might have been in place for many years.

“In that sort of a situation there has to be a risk assessment to ensure they are up to modern-day requirements and, if they do not meet the standards, action has to be taken.

“The 2007 Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act means that companies can face a range of penalties—including unlimited fines—and, of course action can be taken against directors and other senior individuals  over health and safety offences and ‘gross negligence manslaughter’ continues to apply to individuals.”

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