Poor Govt Fire Safety Guidance
Posted: Mon May 18, 2020 5:32 pm
The UK Govt have helpfully prepared advice to help employers get their employees back to work safely. I have no idea who compiled the fire safety part of the guidance, or checked it before sign off but its is very poor:
The emergency plan guidance lists a load of stuff that is nice to have (like a clear escape route!), but fails to mention the most important requirement, staff instructions. This would include:
https://www.gov.uk/workplace-fire-safet ... tion-plans
And later in the guidance, in Fire Safety Equipment, Training and Drills it states "You must have a fire detection and warning system." and then goes on to discuss detector head types, so clearly refers to electrical, automatic fire detection.
This is clearly bonkers many small workplaces either have a manual (break glass) fire alarm (not detection) system, or simply use the shout of fire. Can you imagine a single portacabin of one room or a simple retail unit that must have automatic fire detection?
https://www.gov.uk/workplace-fire-safet ... d-training
Without getting political here (as this is an apolitical post), this is another example of a well meaning idea from the Govt, let down by being very poorly communicated. I have contacted gov.uk with an amendment, so if they act rapidly, I have attached an example of their poor advice
The emergency plan guidance lists a load of stuff that is nice to have (like a clear escape route!), but fails to mention the most important requirement, staff instructions. This would include:
- what staff should do if they discovered fire,
how to raise the alarm,
how to escape,
how and who is calling the fire service,
evacuation of vulnerable people
https://www.gov.uk/workplace-fire-safet ... tion-plans
And later in the guidance, in Fire Safety Equipment, Training and Drills it states "You must have a fire detection and warning system." and then goes on to discuss detector head types, so clearly refers to electrical, automatic fire detection.
This is clearly bonkers many small workplaces either have a manual (break glass) fire alarm (not detection) system, or simply use the shout of fire. Can you imagine a single portacabin of one room or a simple retail unit that must have automatic fire detection?
https://www.gov.uk/workplace-fire-safet ... d-training
Without getting political here (as this is an apolitical post), this is another example of a well meaning idea from the Govt, let down by being very poorly communicated. I have contacted gov.uk with an amendment, so if they act rapidly, I have attached an example of their poor advice