Legal advice: Fire safety regulations
If you happen to have a pub in Suffolk then you will be included in a high-profile inspection regime which is targeting pubs that have sleeping accommodation - either for guests or staff.
Many licensees have had areas of their pubs prohibited for use because the fire officer believes there is an imminent risk of serious personal injury from fire.
Some of the contraventions of fire safety law being found by the officers are:
- sleeping accommodation without a safe means of escape
- lack of fire doors
- lack of fire alarms
- lack of fire detection systems, for example smoke alarms
- blocked/obstructed fire exit routes
- defective fire doors
- no fire safety signage
- no fire-fighting equipment
- no staff training
- no maintenance records of fire safety equipment
- and, most importantly, no fire risk assessments.
You must consider the effect a fire would have on people who may be at work, visiting or living in the premises or working next door etc.
If you have residential accommodation above your pub - whether let to your staff or paying guests or occupied by tenants - then you are the 'responsible person' for determining whether a fire in your premises would affect them and if it would, what you should do to mitigate the risk.
You will probably need some competent, professional help to determine the fire safety risk to residential accommodation.
And sometimes, you may need to challenge the fire officer over the reasonableness of their demands - we are finding that some have been misinterpreting the law.
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Pat Perry is executive chairman of Perry Scott Nash Associates, an environmental health consultancy specialising in health & safety, food safety, fire safety, disability discrimination and other legal compliance issues. It has a wide client base in the hospitality industry and can help with audits, policies, enforcement and legal issues, special projects, trading standards etc.
Contact Perry Scott Nash on 01438 745771 or use the link on the right.
