Swindon hotel owner fined for failure to provide fire safety information #firesafety #hotelownerfined
Darioush Keynejad, of the Ivy Hotel in Wroughton, has been fined for failing comply with a requirement to provide information requested by Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service within the time stipulated to ensure they could properly assess fire safety provisions at the hotel and identify the responsible person.
Mr Keynejad was ordered to pay a total of £1,265 for the offence, including a £500 fine, a £750 contribution towards Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service's costs and a £15 victim surcharge after appearing at a hearing at Swindon Magistrate's court on November 5th.
In his defence speech, Mr Keynejad claimed that he was left confused by the requirements bestowed on him to comply with both an enforcement notice and the information request. Furthermore, he revealed that a member of his family had fallen ill, which distracted him from his duties as owner of the hotel.
Head of fire safety for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, Iain Hunter, said: "It is important the critical work of fire safety inspectors should not be delayed unduly by the need to gather information.
"Any failure of fire safety arrangements in non-domestic premises can endanger both employees and the public, particularly in premises that provide sleeping accommodation.
"This case highlights the need for anyone receiving formal requests for information from the fire service to co-operate fully by responding within the time required."
It is important that business owners realise that they can be prosecuted if they fail to respond to information when requested under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, as well as for breaches in fire safety and failures to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.
For information on correct fire safety proceedures visit us at Alert Fire and Security.
Protect yourself, your employees and your business #firesafety #fireriskassessments
fire-assessment
Each year people die or are seriously injured as a result of fires at work. Besides loss of life, fire costs UK businesses millions of pounds, from damage to property, loss of business, fines, compensation claims and insurance premiums.
Many fires can be avoided by taking fire precautions. If a fire does break out, the effects can be minimised by having effective controls and procedures in place.
In October 2006 stringent rules introduced in England, Scotland and Wales, 2006 Fire Safety Order (October 2006) requires employers and building owners to:
- Ensure that suitable fire protection is provided for all premises.
- Take measures to protect their premises and those in it from the dangers of fire.
- Have fire detection and alarm systems that are designed, installed, commissioned and maintained by a professional third party certificated company.
The Fire Safety Order 2006 consolidated over 100 pieces of existing fire safety legislation. Fire certificates are no longer required and the emphasis is on preventing fires and reducing risk. Anyone who has some control over premises must take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and make sure people can safely escape if there is a fire. The regulations apply to all non-domestic premises. This legal obligation is placed on the person in charge of the workplace and is enforced by your local Fire Authority.
Our Fire Risk Assessments provide a systematic look at potential sources of fire in the workplace, the dangers that fire poses to those who use the workplace and how the risk and spread of fire can be minimised. Once the required risks have been identified, the changes must be implemented.
- If you employ 5 or more people your findings and actions should be fully documented
- The Fire Brigade now actively enforce the regulations through ad hoc inspections
Book your Fire Safety health check and Fire Risk Assessment today by contacting our team at www.alertfireandsecurity.co.uk
Waste disposal fire causes green smoke plumes above Greater Manchester #fire
Residents in Greater Manchester have been reassured that green smoke seen billowing from a waste disposal site in Salford posed no risk to public health.
The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said a chemist had analysed the smoke and confirmed that it was not harmful.
Green smoke over Greater Manchester
Crews from Irlam and Eccles were called to the CSG Lanstar plant on Liverpool Road in Cadishead at 1.53pm on Monday October 15th after several sightings of the green cloud were reported by concerned members of the public.
When they arrived the fire had already been extinguished by staff working on the site, although they remained on the scene for some time afterwards to ensure that everything was safe.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze had been caused by an exothermal reaction in a drum shredding machine.
"The onsite staff had managed to put out the fire using soda ash," the representative stated. "We stayed onsite to assist while the management stripped down the machine."
Solvent company fined for safety failures that led to huge blaze #firesafety
The extent of the damage
A solvent company has been fined after using unsafe methods “fraught with risk” to handle highly flammable chemicals.
Workers fled for their lives when a fire, which broke out when a flammable vapour ignited, quickly spread to other containers of dangerous solvent mixtures, causing some of them to explode.
Seven of Doncaster firm Solvents With Safety’s workforce were present at the time, but all managed to escape unharmed after a quick-thinking supervisor ordered them to evacuate the site and called the fire service. The initial blaze was described as escalating to a raging inferno within minutes.
Doncaster magistrates heard that employees were transferring highly-flammable toluene from a bulk container into a smaller drum ahead of the incident, at the company’s Plumtree Farm Industrial Estate premises on 16 June 2010. They were attempting to fill the drum using a pipe from a container; however, the pipe they used was too short. Consequently, the liquid was dropped from the pipe into the drum, as part of a process called ‘splash filling’.
National Hotel Chain Guilty ot Fire Safety Offences #firesafety #hotelfiresafetycharges
After being found guilty of breaching fire safety laws at its Gatwick Airport Central hotel, Travelodge hotel chain has been fined £13,000 and ordered to pay 6,500 costs.
Crews were called to a blaze at the premises in September 2011 whilst it was being refurbished and when fire safety officers attended, they served a prohibition notice after concerns were raised by the inadequacy of the fire safety measures.
The company was found guilty of seven offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Haywards Heath magistrates court on Friday 14 September.
The seven breaches were:
- An inadequate fire alarm system
- Failure to review their fire risk assessment
- Inadequate fire safety training for staff
- No planning, organisation, control and monitoring of fire prevention and protection measures
- Failure to properly maintain fire safety equipment
- Obstruction of escape routes
- Blocked fire exits
Protection group manager for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Andy Tonks, said:
"Fortunately, due to the professionalism of our crews at the time of the incident, the fire was brought under control quickly and nobody was hurt. However, under different circumstances, the consequences could have been life-threatening.
"Protecting the public will always be our top priority and while we would much rather offer advice to the businesses to help them comply with fire safety law, where serious breaches are putting people's lives at risk we will certainly seek to prosecute."
Responding to the conviction, a Travelodge spokesperson told info4fire:
“At the time of the incident in September 2011, Travelodge Gatwick Airport Central was undergoing a major refurbishment project by a third party property contractor. Due to the unique set of circumstances a business decision was taken to close the hotel in order to accelerate the £10million overhaul programme that was currently taking place.
“During this time we worked very closely with West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service and only once they were satisfied we had complied with all the fire safety regulations did Gatwick Central Airport Travelodge re-open for business in January 2012.
“The safety of our customer and our staff remains our number one priority throughout our 500 hotels.”
Your Legal Obligation at the Workplace #fireriskassessment #legalobligation
Each year people die or are seriously injured as a result of fires at work. Besides loss of life, fire costs UK businesses millions of pounds, from damage to property, loss of business, fines, compensation claims and insurance premiums.
Many fires can be avoided by taking fire precautions. If a fire does break out, the effects can be minimised by having effective controls and procedures in place.
In October 2006 stringent rules introduced in England, Scotland and Wales, 2006 Fire Safety Order (October 2006) requires employers and building owners to:
- Ensure that suitable fire protection is provided for all premises.
- Take measures to protect their premises and those in it from the dangers of fire.
- Have fire detection and alarm systems that are designed, installed, commissioned and maintained by a professional third party certificated company.
The Fire Safety Order 2006 consolidated over 100 pieces of existing fire safety legislation. Fire certificates are no longer required and the emphasis is on preventing fires and reducing risk. Anyone who has some control over premises must take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and make sure people can safely escape if there is a fire. The regulations apply to all non-domestic premises. This legal obligation is placed on the person in charge of the workplace and is enforced by your local Fire Authority.
Our Fire Risk Assessments provide a systematic look at potential sources of fire in the workplace, the dangers that fire poses to those who use the workplace and how the risk and spread of fire can be minimised. Once the required risks have been identified, the changes must be implemented.
- If you employ 5 or more people your findings and actions should be fully documented
- The Fire Brigade now actively enforce the regulations through ad hoc inspections
For further information on the new legislation see Regulatory Reform Order 2005 & the requirements for the ‘responsible person’.
Book your Fire Safety health check and Fire Risk Assessment today by contacting our team.
Fire destroys Lancashire Garage #lancashirefire #garagefire
A fire which broke out on Wednesday 19th September has destroyed a car repair business in Lancashire.
Fire crews attended the fire on Parkfield Garage on Bowerham Road at around 4pm where they worked to extinguish the flames. The fire was so string that it spread to two neighbouring properties - a charity shop and a convenience store whilst a number of local residents were evacuated from their homes because of smoke and concerns over gas cylinders stored in the garage.
The fire was bought under control by around 9.30pm and an investigation has now been launched to determine the cause of the incident.
A fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
If the assessment is deemed not to be 'suitable and sufficient' the Responsible Person can face up to two years in prison or an unlimited fine.
Hair salon pays £40,000 after fire safety breaches #firesafetybreaches #hairsalonfined
Following a fire at West End hair salon owned by celebrity hairdresser Daniel Hersheson, Rudan Ltd hair salon, has been ordered to pay £40,000 in fines and costs after breaching fire safety laws.
The fire was caused by a member of staff's skirt catching fire on some candles that were lit - she was taken to hospital having suffered three degree burns.
Although the fire brigade was not called out they conducted a fire safety inspection where it was discovered that the company had failed to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and had failed to provide staff with adequate and regular safety training. The company was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday 18 September, paying a £10,000 fine for each offence and £20,000 in costs.
London Fire Brigade’s deputy assistant commissioner for fire safety regulation, Lee Phillpotts, said:
“Business owners have a clear responsibility under fire safety law to ensure that both the public and their employees are safe from the risk of fire. This verdict sends a clear message that if these responsibilities are ignored we will not hesitate in prosecuting and serious penalties are likely to be imposed.”
He added: “People should always be extremely careful when using candles. You should never leave them unattended and keep them well away from any flammable materials.”
A statement issued on behalf of Rudan Ltd said:
“All at the company, including its directors and employees, deeply regret the accident in May 2009 when a long-standing and valued employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, sustained burns when a candle set fire to her skirt.
“The company co-operated fully with the subsequent investigation by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and acknowledged the deficiencies in its fire safety measures at the very earliest opportunity.
“In addition, the company swiftly remedied the identified failings and took other measures to learn from the accident and to do all that it could to avoid anything similar ever happening again.”
Oldham Takeaway Owner Guilty of 11 Fire Safety Breaches #firesafety #oldhamprosecution #firesafetybreaches
A takeaway owner in Oldham has been sentenced after being found guilty of committing 11 breaches of the Fire Safety Order whilst the judge described the offences as "a wake up" for other business owners.
Usman Adnan Farzand, of Oldham Road, Ashton, has been ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service and was given a four month suspended sentence for each offence after pleading guilty at Rochdale Magistrates Court last month.
The Mr Cod takeaway in Oldham was inspected by fire safety officers from Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) in February 2011
Officers found that there was no fire alarm in the building, no fire doors to separate the commercial premises from the living space, no emergency lighting or signage in the building, and were horrified to discover a four-year-old girl, who belonged to an employee, sleeping in the basement alongside mains gas and electricity intakes and overloaded extension leads.
Any escape, should a fire have occurred, would have been hampered by large piles of combustible materials that were stored opposite the bottom of the stairs in the building.
Sentencing Farzand, His Honour Judge Timothy Mort said: “As a matter of common sense the first thing you should have done was pick up the phone to the fire service and ask for help as we all know the fire service is active in the community and helps people to avoid fires.
“You failed to sit down and think what to do if there was a fire and consider basic fire precautions in general. I accept the risk you put people living in the basement at was not deliberate but you gave no thought to it. Common sense dictates that if anyone was asleep down there and there was a fire they were doomed.
Assistant chief fire officer and head of prevention and protection at GMFRS, Peter O'Reilly, said: “This was a shocking case which showed a total disregard for the safety of not only a vulnerable child but also Farzand’s employees.
“GMFRS is committed to working with the business community, but all employers must realise they have a responsibility to assess the risks in their premises and take measures to protect their employees. The cases before the courts this week show the serious implications of ignoring fire safety and I am only pleased that in both cases fortunately there was no tragedy.”
Residents Evacuated after Fire in Empty Shop #leicestershirefire #fireinshop #residentsevacuated
Residents were evacuated from flats above an empty shop after a fascia caught fire on Saturday 25th August.
Firefighters were called to the former Steffans jewellery store in Market Harborough at 3.45 am according to the Leicester Mercury.
The alarm was raised by one of the residents and the 15 firefighters who attended were able to prevent the flames from spreading into the building itself.
"The consequences could have been much worse," said Crew manager Andy Blyth. "The residents of the flats had a very lucky escape."
It is believed that the fire occurred due to an electrical fault in the sign.
A 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.