Recently one of our consultants went out on a site visit and during the visit had cause to wander around the perimeter of the building.  To his surprise tucked away in a small porch recess that was a fire exit, a vagrant had set up home!  Now not only was this a sad state of affairs, what if there had been a fire drill or even worse a real alarm and evacuation?

Firstly there would have been problems getting the door to open outwards because of his belongings and at this point his physical presence. Secondly, he would have been injured as we are sure the door would have been forced if possible, and then either trampled or been a tripping hazard in the exit of staff. How long this poor chap had been living here was not known but it did raise concern.

We challenge you to take one action this week, to go and have a wander around your workplace are your fire exits clear both inside and out? Make sure that there are no obstacles on fire routes and that exit doors are not chained or bolted as security measures. Make sure you do not have rubbish or recycling piled up near an exit awaiting removal (another very common practice!).

Not only do you have to protect your staff and visitors, but also think about the safety of the Fire Officers should they need to evacuate safely in the dark in unknown territory when the premises is closed for the evening or empty over the weekend. If you tell them where the fire exits are, they expect them to be clear and usable.

This is a very simple request for action but it could save lives.  Let us know how you got on. Were there any surprises lurking around your premises?  Share your findings with us, you could encourage others to take action by letting us know of any simple remedial steps you took to encourage fire safety and awareness.

Contact us through 'Ask the Expert' should you have any comment or any queries.