Managers at a newly built £23 million police forensics laboratory in Dundee are reviewing fire safety arrangements following concerns raised by staff working there. The action is being taken just months after the five-storey building was officially opened in June by justice secretary Kenny MacAskill. Civilian employees at the site have raised concerns about the means of escape. Specifically, they… read more →
The importance of properly maintaining fire alarms has been highlighted by a case in Sheffield. Two men were rescued from a flat in Broomhall by fire fighters after their chip pan caught fire while they were asleep. However, authorities were only alerted when a fire alarm in a nearby flat detected the smoke pouring from the neighbouring property. When inspecting… read more →
National discount chain Poundstretcher Limited has been fined £51,500 and ordered to pay £3,450 costs at Leeds crown court for seven offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The offences at Poundstretcher’s Castleford store in West Yorkshire included a failure to take adequate fire precautions for its employees and other relevant people, a failure to review its fire… read more →
An international cement company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a worker was set alight in an explosion. Electrical engineer, Paul Ridings, 39, of South Benfleet, Essex had been contracted to work for Lafarge Cement UK Plc, when he was engulfed by the fireball at the firm’s site at Thurrock Marine Terminal, Grays, Essex. Basildon… read more →
Employers are being warned to take into account the effect noise could have on employees, following a six-figure out-of-court settlement case. Former teacher, Joyce Walters, was recently awarded £145,000 by Hillingdon Council after developing a permanent voice injury brought on by speaking loudly over continuous noise. Joyce Walters taught English to adults at Harlington Adult Education Centre. She developed non-cancerous… read more →
A pizza manufacturer in Hounslow has been prosecuted for endangering workers after ignoring calls to make safe an unprotected and dangerous first floor doorway. Capri Foods Ltd, of Worton Hall Industrial Estate, Worton Road, Isleworth, failed to act on an Improvement Notice served by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) despite a continuous risk of a serious fall from height.… read more →
The importance of fire detection and alarm systems, which can prevent fatalities by warning people the moment a blaze starts, has been highlighted by an incident in the West Midlands. According to the Birmingham Mail, three elderly men have been hospitalised following a fire in a block of flats in Wolverhampton in the early hours of this morning (October 27th).… read more →
A former landlady has finally been brought to justice for breaching fire regulations – after courts issued a warrant for her arrest. Eleanor Corcoran pleaded guilty to nine offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at North Wiltshire Magistrates’ Court on 19 October. She was ordered to pay £250 in court costs and given an 18 month discharge… read more →
A man has died following a fire in a residential block of flats on Westmoreland Drive in Sutton, which was attended by crews from the London Fire Brigade. Two fire engines and around ten firefighters from Sutton and Wallington fire stations responded to the incident in the early hours of yesterday morning (October 18th). Around one quarter of the second-floor… read more →
Crews from Highlands & Islands Fire & Rescue Service have helped rescue elderly care home residents from a major fire that broke out at a nursing home in the Inverness area. Some 59 residents of Culloden Court and 12 members of staff were led to safety from the facility located on the outskirts of Inverness after the fire alarm was… read more →
