Fire safety: a message is getting through – but is it the right one?

Claire Rizos, director, Clarity Safety Solutions

I had an encounter yesterday with the average man on the street. A businessman who owned a share in a bar.

The conversation went in a fascinating direction. Though perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised.

He was due to receive a fire safety inspection the following week and it was apparent that this was not a particular concern. The fire officer hadn’t been for three years, so could not be in a position to complain if things weren’t as they wanted.

The fact that the extinguishers hadn’t been serviced was not likely to cause him any trouble during the visit as the last time they hadn’t even been looked at.

And requirements to carry out a weekly test of the fire alarm, monthly tests of emergency lighting etc. were all news — ‘that’s new, when did that come in?’.

In any case he was a bit surprised to be receiving an inspection as he’d heard that they ‘weren’t supposed to be getting them anymore’.

Personal and business responsibilities, and the potential consequences of not fulfilling them, were not something which he had considered. The message he had received was that he could get on with his business without being overly concerned.

It left me wondering whether it’s even possible to achieve the balance that we aspire to. When as practitioners we have the opportunity to explain in some detail what’s needed, we have a good chance of doing so. But if we’re relying on a public message to influence businesses can we avoid over-compliance whilst simultaneously getting across the importance of high standards of health and safety?

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