Poundland fined for fire training failure and safety breaches
Poundland Ltd, the discount retail chain, has reportedly received a £20,000 fine for failing to provide adequate fire safety training to a temporary manager, along with other fire safety breaches.
Inspectors from Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service uncovered the problems after visiting Poundland’s store in Portsmouth at the end of 2008.
They found a number of fire safety problems at the Commercial Road store, including fire exits that were not kept clear and fit to use. However, one of the main problems was with a temporary store manager who had not been given the appropriate fire safety training. As the temporary manager would be the responsible person for fire safety on the premises at the time, this lack of training may have proved disastrous in an emergency situation.
According to a spokesperson for Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service, the problems were considered to be so severe that inspectors ordered the store to be evacuated until they could be fixed.
As a result, Poundland Ltd was fined a total of £20,000 at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on Friday 4th February for four breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which is an important piece of legislation that all businesses should adhere to.