Flower pots are blocking exit

[Guest Marcellev]

dear sirs i have flower pots outside my door on bottom floor distance from stairs is 28 inches iam told this is a breach of health and safty act? but they have been outside for the last 13 years can you advice me please?

[Tom Sutton]

From your description I cannot tell if it is a problem but if the flower pot could cause a tripping hazard to people using the staircase in an emergency then it is in breach of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and should be removed. The length of time is irrelevant it may never have been put to the test.

[green-foam]

I have to agree with Tom (But in more, smaller words)

From what you say it is not clear (To anyone reading this) where the pots are, in relation to everything else, and how big they are and what is in the pots. You could have small heavy pots with tall plants in them, the plants will make it easier to topple the pots.

Also (Again as Tom says) Just because the pots have been there 13 years does not mean its safe / correct. The problem arises if an evacuation is required. When everything is "normal" folk will see the pots and walk round them, in an evacuation folk do not always think strait and if its "dark" or a visitor to the area has to evacuate the pots may "be in the way" so some poor soul could fall over them, and the next person fall over them etc, all because of "a few flower pots"

13 years ago people didn't have smoke alarms in their houses as standard (OK, new builds and extra work its now compulsory) they thought a fire will never happen.

That is why we have risk assessments.

[Guest MorC]

I am contacting you because i am worried about the amount of stuff my neighbour has put on on the stairway, plastic buckets...many. Mops...many. Also, straw, for pets, bags of pet food. Car cleaning liquids, and fertilizer for communal garden. Paint tins.....Ladders, bags, clothes and other stuff. The second landing has a huge stepladder on it and a lawn mower. People have already tripped on this exiting the building. The attic also contains inflamable items. I am worried should there be a fire in any of the other flats in the building, of which there are six. As people visit this building and they smoke in the stairwell, i am very worried about fire. What should I do?

MC

[Tom Sutton]

The common areas of the premises is subject to the The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and therefore the person or persons managing the building, (landlord, managing agents, housing association) should have conducted a fire risk assessment in the common areas, which includes keeping the escape route free from obstructions, so they are the first persons to approach.

If they cannot help or won’t, you should contact the enforcers of the order, who are the Fire and Rescue Service and also in the case of a HMO the local housing authority.

http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/

http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/

[Guest JamesGa]

Hi, I live in a flat on the second floor. The fire exit of the building is located on the 4th floor (roof), however the tenant on the 3rd floor keeps leaving a lot of things (bins, pots of paints, ladder, boxes, etc.) on his landing that could make escape route, in my view, unsafe. I have raised this with my landlord but nothing seems to be done. Could you please let me know if there is a specific legislation I could refer to or something else I could do?

James

[Tom Sutton]

The common areas of blocks of flats are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and article 14 states, Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons, the responsible person must ensure that routes to emergency exits from premises and the exits themselves are kept clear at all times.

The RR(FS)O is enforced by the Fire and Rescue Service and if your landlord will not help I would suggest you contact the fire and rescue service.