Major fines for safety breaches
Business owners are being advised to pay greater attention to fire safety legislation following the prosecution of a national retailer at Mansfield Magistrates Court yesterday (30 May).
B&M Retail Ltd faced a total financial penalty of £32,984.17 including a victim surcharge and full costs after pleading guilty to six fire safety offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Fire Protection officers from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service had visited the B&M Bargains store in Stockwell Gate, Mansfield in June 2011 and found that the fire precautions which should have been provided in the event of a fire were inadequate. This presented a serious risk to the lives of B&M Bargains’ customers and staff, so an Enforcement Notice was issued which required the deficiencies to be remedied.
When Fire Protection officers re-visited the premises in October 2011 they discovered that several breaches had been repeated, including the locking of fire exits.
The offences and fines imposed by the court were as follows:
June 2011
- Failure to create a suitable and sufficient Fire Risk Assessment - fined £4,000.
- Fire exits and exit routes obstructed - fined £4,500.
- Exit route led to locked enclosed area - fined £5,000.
- Failure to ensure employees received adequate safety training - fined £4,000.
October 2011
- Fire doors locked and unable to be used in an emergency - fined £5,000.
- Exit route led to locked enclosed area - fined £5,000.
Today, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding all owners and occupiers of buildings of their legal responsibility to protect their customers and staff against the risk of fire and warning them that, where necessary, action will be taken against anyone found to be in breach of fire safety regulations.
Ian Taylor, Fire Protection Group Manager at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We are here to provide advice and support to local businesses and are always willing to help to make sure they comply with the fire safety legislation. However, the public should continue to be reassured that we take any breaches of fire safety very seriously and will use legal sanctions where necessary."
“In this case, my officers had previously spent some time ensuring that B&M Retail Ltd was aware of its responsibilities and duties to ensure people’s safety, and it is disappointing that they chose to continue to place people at risk from fire”.
Further fire safety advice and guidance for all types of premises is available at www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/firesafetylaw/ and www.notts-fire.gov.uk .
Help regarding fire safety in non-domestic premises is available from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service fire safety advice line, on 0115 957 5231 or email fireprotection@notts-fire.gov.uk .
