Insufficient escape route?

[Guest ChristMac]

I am making an enquiry on behalf of my husband who works for a local voluntary organisation. The premises are located in the upstairs rooms of a terraced propery. The shop occupies the ground floor and the entrances are separate and not connected.

Basically there is one entrance/exit for the offices - down the stairs and out onto the street. There is only one full time employee but a number of volunteers in and out at various times with a maximum of 12 on the premises on training nights.

He is unable to raise his query with the HSE as they no longer have a phoneline available to answer questions of this nature. But he feels that, with only one exit (apart from the window) the premises are unsafe from a fire perspective as there is no backup means of evacuation. He is trying to find out what the HSE guidelines are regarding permissable number of people working in an office with no fire escape. Are you able to give him any information please?

Many thanks for your assistance

Regards

[Tom Sutton]

Fire safety is not subject to the Health and Safety at Work Act for which the enforcing authority is the HSE. It is subject to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the enforcing authority is the Fire and Rescue Service. Check out http://www.firesafe....ety-order-2005/ it will it will assist you in understanding the Order. The Responsible Person is required to conduct a fire risk assessment and the guidance document for Offices is the DCLG Offices and shops guide. Your husband needs to look at the FRA which may not require an alternative means of escape it all depends on the construction of the building and its layout.

[SarahR]

I am presuming your husband has taken part in some form of fire drill either as a drill or information on how the office should be evacuated in the event of a fire. If he has not received this training he should request it. It is a breach of the regulatory reform order if he has not received any fire safety training .