Ark Workplace Risk ™

£13K Fine For Fire Safety Breaches

London property manager fined for 7 breaches of fire safety

A Hillingdon property manager has been ordered to pay nearly £13,000 in fines and costs after being found guilty of breaches of fire safety legislation.
The Chief Fire Officers Association reports that the Uxbridge Magistrates' Court fined Mr Armajit Singh for seven breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (see details below). Mr. Singh did not own the premises but was managing it for his uncle and had responsibility for the property’s maintenance and repairs.
The prosecution followed a fire at the house converted into flats on Wood End Green Road, Hayes on 14 September 2007. A man and a woman were woken and found the staircase engulfed by thick black smoke. They escaped by smashing the first floor bedroom window and jumping out. The woman broke her ankle in the fall and the man suffered cuts to his hands.
Fire safety inspectors visited the premises and found a number of faults, including no smoke alarm or fire extinguishers in the property and none of the doors were fire resistant.
London’s Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety Regulation, Steve Turek, said:

'The residents involved in this fire suffered injuries but it could have been a lot worse. The property had no smoke alarm or an accessible means of escape and this incident could have resulted in a death or more severe injuries to the occupants.
It is important for people who are responsible for managing properties to know that they can be held to account for fire safety failures that are within their control.
I urge landlords, business owners and employers to take their fire safety responsibilities very seriously. [...]'

Detail of summonses:

• 1: Failing to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons were exposed
(Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005).
• 2: Failing to make and give effect to appropriate fire safety arrangements
(Article 11(1) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005).
• 3: Failing provide appropriate fire fighting equipment
(Article 13(1)(a) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005)
• 4: Failing to provide appropriate fire detection measures, namely, a fire alarm
(Article 13(1)(a) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005).
• 5: Failing to provide appropriate fire detection measures, namely, adequate smoke alarms
(Article 13(1)(a) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005).
• 6: Failing to ensure that persons were able to evacuate the premises as quickly and as safely as possible, in that the escape route was not properly protected
(Article 14(2)(a) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005).
• 7: Failing to establish and give effect to appropriate procedures to be followed in the event of serious and imminent fire
(Article 15(1)(a) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005).

What you should do

To be safe from prosecutions you need to make sure you have a competent fire risk assessment undertaken, and that it takes all regulations into account.

Safer with Ark

Top brand clients work with Ark Workplace Risk to optimise their control and management of risk.
To explore how you can optimise your Health & Safety and Fire Risk management systems, just use the easy form below or call Jody Horne on +44 (0) 20 7397 1450.