Comply with fire safety rules or face prosecution

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) brought a total of ten charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order against Paul Dailey - proprietor of the George and Dragon public house in Swallowfield.

Mr Dailey pleaded guilty to all ten breaches at Reading Magistrates Court this month. He was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,984.

RBFRS said the prosecution followed a routine inspection of the George and Dragon by its officers last May. They found no fire risk assessment had been carried out for the premises and that fire escape routes were obstructed.

In addition, no fire drill training had been provided to members of staff and emergency lighting systems did not work.

The court was told the failings represented a "serious and life-threatening risk, not only to the staff who worked there, but also to members of the public who visited the premises."

'Implicit duty'

David Walden, fire safety technical support officer at RBFRS, said: "We are very pleased that the courts have acknowledged the serious nature of this case.

"This prosecution was brought about under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, which came into effect in October 2006. Although fire and rescue services are no longer required to issue fire safety certificates, we continue to carry out a rigorous inspection programme of commercial premises to ensure they are meeting the standards required by the Order."

He went on to "strongly advise" employers, or anyone else with responsibility and control of commercial premises, to make sure their duties under the Order were "properly discharged."

"The Fire Authority has an implicit duty to enforce fire safety regulations and thereby protect members of the public," he said.

Research last year by Norwich Union Risk Services (NURS) found a third of businesses were unaware of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. The study also revealed that over a third (36%) of businesses had failed to carry out a fire safety risk assessment - a requirement of the legislation.

A free two-page NURS guide (pdf) to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, can be viewed/downloaded here.