The danger runs much deeper than an apparent paperwork foul up with fire risk assessments gone wrong. The aftermath can ruin businesses, finish careers and in the worst of cases take lives. It is not just about achieving compliance, but protecting what you have worked hard to build.
Legal Consequences That Bite Hard
Business owners who fail to comply with safety regulations as required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 can attract unlimited fines. In recent cases, companies have been fined hundreds of thousands of pounds with directors facing personal fines and even two-year prison terms. For a Fire Risk Assessment Bristol, visit https://keloscape.co.uk/areas-we-cover/fire-safety-consultancy-bristol/
Courts are ruthless against insufficient risk assessments. A London hotel was landed with a £500,000 penalty when safety officers found their fire risk assessment missed blocked escape routes and failed to address faulty fire doors. The fine was not for any real harm, but rather the danger that workers were exposed to potentially catastrophic loss of life.
Insurance Nightmares
If your risk assessment falls short when it comes to real fire, insurance companies can (and will) void out the whole policy. It will generally be argued that a failure to properly assess risks is an act of negligence — meaning you would personally cover damages, lost business costs and harm to third parties.
Business Destruction Beyond the Flames
The wrong enforcement of fire safety can close your business down overnight, if it is determined that the risk assessment you have in place does not go far enough. No warning, no grace period – just the door slamming shut and revenue disappearing as you rush to fix what went wrong.
The same shoddy risk assessment saw a Birmingham restaurant chain closed down for three outlets at once when enforcement officers discovered identically-inadequate documentation in every site. It was a generic copy-paste approach that ended up costing them six months of trading and eventually their business.
Personal Liability Horror Stories
That directors and even business owners themselves can still be prosecuted if they devolve responsibilities for fire safety. Sometimes the responsible person is held as accountable under local law regardless of who actually went out and conducted the assessment.
The Reputation Catastrophe
Bad press by the local media, negative online reviews over lack of safety concerns and the conspiracy theory stoked word-of-mouth can have your company quashed down to its roots overnight without any signs on what hit you.
Prevention Is Everything
You see, real fire risk assessments are much more than that — they’re not simply meant to demonstrate compliance. The cost of doing proper assessment seems close to zero when compared with the potential implications if you mess up.
