Furniture firm ‘put workers at serious risk’
Newmarket Journal - NOVEMBER 2011 FIRE EXIT BLOCK
A NEWMARKET furniture company and two of its directors have been ordered to pay over £12,000 after they admitted breaching fire regulations and putting their workers at serious risk.
Showhouse Furniture Limited and directors Francoise Guillambert and Edward Babington pleaded guilty to 12 charges brought by Suffolk’s Fire and Rescue Service when they appeared before magistrates in Bury St Edmunds on Thursday.
They were fined a total of £6,100 and ordered to pay £6,000 towards the cost of the prosecution.
The court heard that safety inspectors had been called in following a fire at the company’s warehouse in Newmarket’s Oaks Drive on October 18 last year when firefighters found a flue in the boiler room well alight. After they put out the fire they were concerned over the severe lack of fire safety provisions in the warehouse and alerted a fire safety inspection officer.
A detailed inspection of the premises, used to store wicker furniture, followed and a number of ‘safety critical’ breaches were discovered, including the complete obstruction of the fire exits, a faulty fire alarm, no fire risk assessment, no maintenance of fire safety systems and a lack of emergency lighting.
The inspecting officer was said to be so concerned for the safety of employees he was ready to shut the premises down.
The court heard it was only due to the staff undertaking immediate and sufficient remedial work that it was allowed to stay open. Suffolk county councillor Colin Spence, portfolio holder for public protection, said; “I hope that this case will highlight the importance of compliance with fire safety regulations. When employees are placed at serious risk, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service will take appropriate and proportionate action.”
After the hearing a spokeswoman for Suffolk Fire said: “We always prefer to work with businesses but in this case there were some very serious contraventions of fire safety regulations coupled with the fact there had been a fire and people placed at significant risk.
“We have a duty to enforce regulations and we hope people will learn from this incident. Support and guidance from duty fire safety officers is available by calling 01473 260588.”
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