Co-operative group fined £210,000 over fire safety breaches

The Co-operative Group was this week fined over £200,000 after pleading guilty in Southampton Crown Court to serious fire safety breaches at its store in Shirley Road, Southampton.

The prosecution by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority took into account six breaches of fire safety under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The Co-Operative Group was fined £35,000 for each of the six offences and ordered to pay a total of £210,000, plus costs in excess of £28,000 to Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

The offences came to light after fire safety inspections at the premises in September 2007 revealed that the responsible person:

* failed to maintain the rear emergency exit doors unlocked so that they could be easily opened in an emergency;

* fitted a lock requiring a security code on the emergency door between the retail and storage areas which could not be easily opened in an emergency;

* was responsible for a fire alarm call point in the storage area being obstructed, potentially delaying the activation of the fire alarm to give early warning to occupants in the premises;

* failed to ensure that the store manager was provided with suitable and sufficient fire safety instruction and training;

* failed to ensure that the fire alarm system was being regularly tested; and

* failed to ensure a means of early detection of fire in the retail area to give early warning to the occupants of the manager’s office to allow a safe evacuation.

In addition to the six breaches of fire safety law at the Shirley Road store, three other offences were taken into account after breaches at Co-Operative Group premises in Montague Avenue and Bassett Green Road in Southampton, and its Kingston Road store in Portsmouth.

In summing up, His Honour Judge Barnett said the case demonstrated a lamentable approach to fire safety and that the Co-Operative Group had been responsible for a potential death trap, given the severity of the fire safety failings.

Chief Officer John Bonney of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service today commented:

“A number of common trends have emerged since the fire safety law came into force in 2006. These include blocked or locked exits, poorly maintained fire escape staircases, lack of staff fire training, storage of combustible materials in boiler rooms, lack of fire alarms, lack of emergency lighting, lack of fire doors, and in far too many cases lack of suitable fire risk assessment.

“We would like this case to act as a timely reminder to business owners and landlords throughout Hampshire that the Fire Safety Order is in place, and that the regulations placing responsibilities on businesses are there to make people safer.

“We will continue to use the Service’s powers where necessary in order to improve the standards of safety throughout the county. The Service believes that this verdict, together with the scale of the fine, gives a clear message to members of the business community of the need to take their fire safety responsibilities seriously.”

A spokesperson for the Co-operative Group said:

“As a responsible retailer, the Co-operative Group takes health and safety issues very seriously. At the time of these incidents, the Group was introducing substantially more stringent health and safety procedures, investing heavily, both in time and money, in all aspects of fire safety.

“The Co-operative Group deeply regrets the breaches but reiterates that its rigorous measures, now established and continually reviewed in conjunction with fire authorities across the country, ensure the safety of its valued customers and staff.”