When it comes to a health and safety risk assessment, it is important to ensure that fire exits are clearly signed and are fully functional, otherwise this could lead to problems.
A woman in China was killed when she stepped out of a door marked with a fire exit safety sign, but behind the door was a five-story drop which caused her death.
This case is extreme but highlights the need to make sure that fire exits are functional. No British business would be thoughtless enough to label a door that led to a drop as a fire exit. However, there have been cases where fire exits have been blocked which could be dangerous in the event of a fire.
Sometimes a blocked fire exit is not the direct fault of an organisation. In Bournemouth, an Air Cadet Hut’s fire exit is next to the street. On occasions, cars have parked in ways that block this fire exit. When this happens, the sea cadets have to wait until the police trace the car owners and on other occasions, the cadets have been sent home.
In Salisbury, a nightclub had to restrict numbers entering after developers of a nearby apartment blocked a fire exit.
Fortunately, most companies can control access from fire exits, and display clear safety signs that label fire exits and routes to them. There are regulations that cover fire safety in commercial buildings that make it compulsory to carry out fire risk assessments that include procedures for making sure that fire exits are signed and provide a clear evacuation route and not injury risks.
