This article is a prelude to a series of articles I intend to publish on the Manchester Professionals articles site to raise the awareness of the responsibility that the government has placed ON ALL businesses to ensure their employees and place of work is safe from fire.
WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW?
Well, quite simply, if you have a fire and you haven’t followed the basic guidelines of the fire safety legislation, you are going to be in the doo doo, up to your neck, with little chance of making it out for a bath.
The legislation that came into force in 2006 called the Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order firmly places the responsibility of fire safety in the workplace on the shoulders of business or ‘The Responsible Person’ to be precise.
The Fire Service will no longer offer free advice and are moving towards enforcement by prosecution rather than information, almost exactly the same as the Health and Safety at Work Act is managed and enforced by the HSE – very scary if you cross the fence onto the wrong side getting your strides snagged on the wire at the same time.
How many times has an HSE enforcement officer dropped into your workplace to offer some free advice and guidance?
‘Not for me’ I can hear. Yes’s would fit on a postage stamp, a very small one at that.
So how many of you out there in the big Manchester Professionals’ world are aware of fire safety and how to ensure your premises are safe from fire and compliant with the legislation?
From my time as a fire safety inspecting officer for GMC Fire Service and running my own fire risk assessment and training business – not an awful lot.
How many of you out there really know what a fire in a building is like?
Even fewer!!!
So why am I doing this? out of the good of my heart, well a little bit but let’s be honest, I want more exposure for my company, but if along the way I can make your world a little safer, that’s all the good, after all making the community a safer place is what I did for 32 years.
So what are the articles going to cover?
All sorts from the reality of fire and basic fire safety to - well, let’s see where it goes.
If you fancy subscribing or are interested and would like some advice along specific lines, then drop me a line via Manchester Professionals and I will try and help you out or simply let you know when the next article is out.
If you do read this – (not expecting many) and if any do it will be a surprise, then PLEASE just send me a message and let me know to give me some encouragement.
If you do want more and don’t tell me I will give up eventually.
Here’s hoping for more.
Yours
Mark Norgate
Total fire Management Ltd
www.totalfiremanagement.co.uk
[email protected]
