A recent survey revealed the shocking fact that 39% of licensees still do not know that they are required to carry out a fire risk assessment at their premises. Failure to comply with Fire Safety legislation is an issue which comes up repeatedly in the trade press, people’s lives are put at risk and licensees/landlords often receive very hefty fines or prison sentences as a result. It is essential to know your obligations and to continually review fire safety as part of an ongoing process.
In one recent case a hotel owner in Wolverhampton was given 12 months in jail for 8 breaches of fire safety legislation. The hotel was described as a “death trap” with alarms missing or not working, fire exits blocked by mattresses and a no fire risk assessment in place.
We have covered the obligations of managers, tenants and landlords under the fire safety legislation on various occasions on these web pages and have now produced a guide to fire safety which you can access here.
It is important that fire safety is part of everyday life at you premises for your staff, your guests and anyone else who visits your outlet. Risk assessments need to be carried out and acted on – they should be a live-document not a once a year tick box exercise. Staff need up to date training and buildings should be inspected on a regular basis to ensure fire exits are not blocked or fire doors wedged open. Our fire safety guide covers all of these obligations. Don’t leave it all until it is too late…
