A fire that ripped through a flagship clothing retailer in Oxford Street, London, resulted in structural damage so severe that the parts of the building left standing had to be demolished.
Thirty five fire appliances and 150 fire fighters attended the incident, during which around 450 people from the store and surrounding premises were evacuated.
Fortunately, no one was killed, but as the subsequent investigation by the London Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) revealed, this was more by luck than judgement.
The fire took complete hold of the building because the retailer’s staff had no idea what to do in the circumstances. They didn’t even notify the FRS – an office worker in an adjacent building did that, and the delay allowed the fire to quickly spread and break through the second floor windows by the time the fire fighters arrived.
Incredibly, despite the building’s fire alarm sounding, the alarm was reset at least once and eventually, around 150 customers were evacuated through a door right beneath the seat of the fire on the second floor.
The company pleaded guilty in court to two breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) and was fined £400,000 as follows:
- Failing to carry out and produce a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, including no record of the appropriate procedures to be taken during a fire alarm – £250,000.
- Failing to train staff adequately – £150,000
The company was also ordered to pay costs of £136,000.
This is the largest fine under the FSO to date and was so high because the company’s breaches endangered the lives of so many.
It highlights the legislation is there to serve a purpose – the requirement to complete risk assessments and save lives.
As an occupier of non-domestic premises, you must carry out a fire risk assessment. It must identify potential sources of fire and what control measures you deem necessary to prevent one. In addition – as this case proves – it must include details of how employees, visitors, contractors, customers, disabled people etc, should be evacuated.
This is a good time to ensure risk assessments, standards, staff fire safety training and supervision are appropriate, up-to-date and the provisions of your health and safety policy are being applied in practice.
If you have any queries or would like some advice or would like a professional carry out a fire risk assessment, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01623 861331.