Food factory owner pays £20,000 for fire safety breaches

A food factory owner has been ordered to pay more than £20,000 in fines and costs after falling foul of fire safety regulations.

Mong Lui of New Kong Nam Food Production Company pleaded guilty to seven offences under the (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Enfield Magistrates Court on 1 July.

There was no evidence of fire safety training for staff, nor any adequate means of fire detection in the two-storey building where the company was based, the court was told.

Investigators found inadequate emergency lighting in the building and windows that led to an alternative escape route that were not fire resistant. In conjunction with these offences, there was no fire protection for the first floor escape route.

The court also heard that the family-run business did not have an emergency plan in place, nor had it committed to a “suitable and sufficient” fire risk assessment.

While production of food took place on the ground floor of the premises, the first floor was being used for sleeping accommodation.

Mrs Lui was fined £2,000 for each offence and ordered to pay £6,380 costs.

It followed a seven-month investigation process that started in December 2008, when London Fire Brigade issued Mrs Lui with an enforcement notice. A follow-up inspection was carried out in June 2009 and while some issues had been rectified, a number of faults remained. A final assessment took place in August, where it was found that the building still lacked sufficient fire safety measures.

This story was originally published on our sister website Info4fire.com

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