Over 30 Worcester premises fail fire safety checks

Worcester News reported on the statistics issued by HWFRS, which recently undertook inspections of 165 premises citywide and handed out 37 enforcement notices to building owners ordering them to ‘carry out improvements to their fire provisions’. HWFRS ‘has not said’ where the 37 affected premises are, and the news outlet added that ‘it is unclear if they are all business premises or if some are accommodation’.

A spokesman for HWFRS stated that the notices will help make sure ‘improvements to fire provisions are made for public safety, and that the visits took place to ‘ensure that people visiting the city and staff working within those premises are kept safe from the risk of fire’ – HWFRS’ ultimate aim was to ensure the city is ‘as safe as it can be’. Before the inspections it had held a drop in advice session at the Guildhall to help guide businesses on ensuring they met safety standards.

The inspections form part of the Home Office’s plan for all fire and rescue authorities to undertake a risk based inspection programme between 2019 and 2020 ‘to ensure buildings comply with fire safety standards’, with £2.3bn in funding provided to carry this out. HWFRS’s community risk department station commander Amy Bailey commented: ‘Tragedies like Grenfell have really put into focus the horrific consequences of fire.

‘We are continually working to ensure that, as well as providing education and support, we are doing all we can to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations. As part of this work we have recently undertaken a programme of visits to Worcester city centre shops. It is important to remember that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 has been in place for many years now and it places the responsibility on business owners and landlords of non-domestic premises to ensure that everyone on their premises can escape safely in the event of fire.

‘We have so far inspected 165 premises in the city centre, only 37 of which have resulted in enforcement action to ensure that improvements to fire provisions are made for public safety.’