2 out of 3 Sussex businesses failing on fire safety
According to results from the latest round of tests in East Sussex, around two out of every three businesses are putting lives at risk by neglecting fire safety measures.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service inspected a total of 119 public and commercial buildings in the area, carrying out the checks between October and December 2012. The results were surprising, as it was revealed that only 35 were meeting fire safety regulations. The remaining 84 were not up to scratch and required either formal or informal action to be taken.
Commenting on the results of the checks, legislation and enforcement officer Mark Hobbs said:
“It is fair to say that compliance is not quite what it should be.
“We are sometimes viewed as the bad guys who go around telling people to spend money on expensive equipment.
“But all we are trying to do is prevent a tragedy like the one we’ve seen recently in Brazil.”
In the premises which failed the tests, a range of problems was found. There were issues with fire safety training, fire drills, obstructed fire exits and escape routes, fire doors not being fire resistant and electrical boards not being protected.