Ark Workplace Risk ™

Which Of These Fire Prevention Measures Do You Need To Improve?

An inside look at what we reviewed in the wake of the Chancery Lane Fire

Given that the fire that destroyed the roof of the building which houses the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal occurred a stone's throw from Ark's London office, we thought it might be a good opportunity to have a look at our own systems for dealing with such an event.
We decided to share our review lines with you as sometimes it takes an event of this type to remind us all of the need for vigilance.


Chancery Lane Fire, London

While not attempting to pre-empt any investigation that will be carried out by London Fire Brigade's Fire Investigation Unit, we do think that the fire starting on the roof and involving propane cylinders would lead us to consider whether there may be a link with 'hot work' (i.e. use of blow torches) being carried out in that area.

So what did we look at?

Contractor Management

Permits to Work, and in particular where hot work is being carried out Contractors' insurance liabilities and ours too for that matter

Fire Strategy

Were we confident that all our staff know how to raise the alarm and contact the fire service.

Fire training

Do we have enough fire wardens?
Could we have attacked the fire if it was safe to do so?

Fire Evacuation

In the Chancery Lane case, it looks unlikely that the fire could have been controlled in the early stages, so is everyone aware of the evacuation procedures?
Do we have a register of who is on the premises?
Are visitors going to be controlled and assisted?
Do we have suitable arrangements for anyone with disabilities?

Fire Assembly Points

Did we have suitable areas identified that did not leave our staff at risk from burning embers or collapse of the building?
Are we able to be flexible if our main assembly area becomes unusable?
Would all our staff go to the designated points?

Have we tested all of the above often enough?

And, if we have, have we kept documentary evidence of our tests?

Crisis Management

If our roof had caught fire and our building was unsafe to return to, we would look to our Crisis Management Team to handle the situation. Not only to manage the health and safety of our staff and visitors but to review our legal or regulatory position in relation to the event and to work with our Business Continuity Team to keep the business going.
Who has prepared our statement for the media? (The quickest way to reach our customers, suppliers and shareholders).
When did we last hold an exercise for the CMT?

Business Continuity Management

Where do we go next?
Is our BCM team ready to kick into action?
When was our Business Continuity Plan (BCP) last tested?
Do our essential staff know how to get to our fall back centre?
How will we deal with phone calls now we cannot get back into our building?
Where will clients meet us?
Where will staff work from?
Are our IT systems up to scratch and protected?
How quickly can we be back in action?
How are we going to communicate business as usual to protect our reputation?

The message for us, and we think for you, is to address these issues regularly and often.
We wish the Asylum and Immigration Commission all the very best for a speedy recovery, but we wonder how easy it will be to get the 'business as usual' signs back in place

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Whether you need a competent consultant to lead you through the complexity of the legislation, you simply want to have risk assessments carried out for you, or you wish to develop or test your business continuity arrangements, just use the easy form below or call us on +44 (0) 20 7397 1450.