GLOBEX site surveys and audits can also include talking with clients about their building fire strategy, fire risk assessment, PEEPs/GEEPs, record keeping and any fire safety and evacuation concerns they may have.
As part of some recent these discussions there appears to be an emerging trend of misinformation and misunderstanding around fire doors !
One particular client had a survey of their fire doors carried out that has led to recommendations to replace the majority of them at a potentially huge cost to the organisation, so concerned was the client we offered to send in our own fire safety advisor to support them and offer a second opinion.
Upon the looking at their fire risk assessment produced by a third party accredited company and the fire door inspection report that was produced by a different third party accredited company, the two documents were contradictory and most of the recommendations for improvement works were not actually required and were more an overzealous sales pitch !
Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, that has been in force some time now, states that:
Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons the responsible person must ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided in respect of the premises under this Order are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
Free to view at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/contents
Those in the fire safety sector will know that whilst there are many reputable companies, there are also some not so reputable ones, as has always been that case and probably the same in many sectors.
The point of this weeks blog is to encourage Responsible Persons and Duty Holders to take ownership and understanding of their premises and what current requirements actually are rather than potentially being misled. The initial cost of a fire safety and evacuation management training course could save you thousands in the long run.
It is important to remember that outsourcing of services does not absolve you of statutory obligations therefore due diligence of any service provider is essential to assist you with demonstrating compliance.
With life safety being the most important issue around Building Regulations and current Fire Safety Legislation, it is shocking to note how many people still think it is the roll of the Fire Service to evacuate their premises, have the wrong equipment in place, no suitably trained personnel to use equipment and no maintenance of equipment.
If you have concerns and would like an evacuation audit of your premises or general advice please do not hesitate to contact us, in addition to promoting our products and services our aim is to raise awareness and improve standards to ensure the safe evacuation of mobility impaired persons from upper and lower level of buildings and assist client to be compliant.
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