To the average business owner, installing Emergency Lighting signage to comply with the law may seem like a walk in the park. Businesses think they are covered by employing a simple 4 step process such as:
Easy peasy, right?
Think again. It's easy for busy business owners on a budget to get led astray when attempting DIY fire safety solutions.
In an emergency, people could get injured or worse if your DIY system doesn't comply with current regulations. This leaves you vulnerable to unlimited fines or a prison sentence...
If you stumbled across this article during step 1, the quick Google search, we urge you to read on. The following information could save you a great deal of legal trouble and avoid wasted money on cheap products.
Just like everyone else in the world, you never think the worst will happen to you.
As a business owner or Responsible Person, it's your duty of care to ensure that all risks are kept to a minimum.
There's no telling when a freak accident could put your staff and visitors in danger and test the performance of your fire safety equipment.
If that day comes, it is critical that your Emergency Lighting system works properly and complies with the law to ensure your staff and visitors can safely escape.
Locked up for neglecting the rules
Not long ago, a Blackpool landlord was imprisoned for 18 months due to unsatisfactory fire safety systems, including Emergency Lighting violations. His hotel, now boarded up, was a death trap.
In the event of a fire, his guests would have to fumble around while trying to escape in the dark. Every minute they are trapped in the building, the deadly smoke is filling their lungs...
Or how about the steel factory in Wales that was fined £200,000 after the Emergency Lighting failed to operate during an accident in which 300 tonnes of molten metal was spilled!
Multiple employees suffered severe burns as a result, one was even hospitalised. Imagine the consequences the factory would have faced if the workers were not as lucky...
There's a lot more to Emergency Lighting than meets the eye and more than one way you can fall foul of your obligations:
Attempting a DIY installation is risky business to say the least. There are many lesser known regulations that only a professional, accredited installer would be aware of such as:
It's a whole new language...
Of course, this information can be found in technical and highly detailed guides, but are you willing to read those wordy tomes and risk misinterpreting the legislation?
Your best bet is to leave that job to the accredited professionals who undergo regular training and inspections. They will ensure everything - the design, the installation and the maintenance - is compliant with the law - and, therefore, so is your business!
