Health warning for bosses on fire safety
Apr 8 2008 by jez Davison, Evening Gazette
A MIDDLESBROUGH fire protection company is benefiting from legislation aimed at owners of industrial premises, despite 95% of fire-related deaths occurring in the home.
Harry Wilmot, managing director of H E Woolley, believes the Government is unlikely to match the regulations imposed on bosses two years ago with similar requirements for homeowners to protect their premises, so he is concentrating expansion plans instead on commercial customers.
On October 1, 2006, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, made employers responsible for undertaking or identifying a person or specialist company to undertake fire risk assessments of premises.
“A move to burden homeowners with further fire regulations would represent political madness,” said Mr Wilmot. “Around 98% of fire regulations affect the commercial sector, even though only about 20 out of the 400 UK deaths caused by fire each year occur in commercial buildings.”
The move has led to a refocusing of the business, but it comes with a health warning for employers.
“Legislation has transferred responsibility from the fire brigade to the company and has given us growth potential,” said Mr Wilmot.
“But we are conscious there are still many businesses that are unaware of their new responsibilities. It is vital that business owners appreciate the importance of their own role in the fire safety equation. The enforcing authority - normally the fire brigade, but it may be the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) or the local authority - has the power to ensure that this responsibility is met and, if it is not, to penalise the offender, either financially or by imprisonment.
“This brings into question the issue of ‘competency’ and who is competent to make such a risk assessment as well as focusing on the importance of the quality of fire protection products and services.”
In September H E Woolley bought its competitor, fire extinguisher specialist Gordon Scott, in a £250,000 deal which boosted turnover to £1.25m and the number of staff to 28 at its Riverside Park premises.
But Mr Wilmot, who led a management buy-out of H E Woolley in 2000, said the acquisitions trail was likely to end there. “It can be expensive and only works when you have good knowledge of the company you are buying,” he said.
Formed 80 years ago by Henry Woolley of Saltburn, the company installs and services fire extinguishers, conducts fire risk assessments and provides emergency first aid and fire training.
