RSA Calls upon Employers to Do More for Workers’ Fire Safety
As per the British government’s guidelines all businesses are obliged to conduct a full fire safety drill at least once a year so that the employees know how to act quickly and evacuate the office in case of a fire. However, it seems business are ignoring the government’s regulations.
Insurer RSA conducted a poll questioning more than 2,000 adults on fire safety procedures. The survey saw 5 per cent of workers reporting that their workplace did not have marked fire exists. Also, one in four employees has never been in a full fire drill.
A large number of employees have also failed to understand the urgency of emptying a building as soon as the fire alarm rings. According to the London Fire Brigade, a building that has caught fire must be vacated within two and a half minutes. However, employees unaware of proper fire safety procedures often waste time in leaving a fire-struck building. Six per cent of people said they would stop to pick up beverages on their way out in case of a fire alert while 42 per cent would first gather their personal stuff or office papers.
Moreover, people’s reaction time is quite high. One in ten workers admitted they would take more than a minute to get up from their desk after a fire alarm goes off. The average reaction time taken by a worker to react to an alarm was 36 seconds.
RSA believes employers need to pay attention to the issue of fire safety as they are endangering the lives of their employees by not doing so.
Global UK Business Director at RSA, David Geer, said the study shows the carelessness attitude of workers towards fire safety. Marking fire exists in the office is not enough for fire safety, employers need to inform employees about what they should do once the fire alarm goes off, he added.
The NEBOSH Fire Certificate has been designed for managers, supervisors, and employee representatives who need to ensure that their organisation meets its responsibilities under fire safety legislation. It aims to equip holders to carry out fire risk assessments of most workplaces and identify the range of fire preventative and protective measures required.
