North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will be offering businesses safety messages as part of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) UK Business Safety Week 2017.
The week runs from 11th - 17th September and aims to make sure businesses and their staff have the information they need to prevent, protect and respond to fire incidents in the workplace.
Fire risk assessments and training
The week has been scheduled to run at a time when many businesses will be recruiting additional members of seasonal staff in the run up to the Christmas period. New recruits may not have the same level of fire safety awareness as permanent members of staff, and may not be aware of the steps needed to protect themselves, their customers and colleagues. It’s also a good opportunity to remind employers of the need to review fire risk assessments and training and make sure existing staff know the importance of fire safety.
Fire services will be asking businesses to:
- ensure they have taken action to prevent fires in the workplace
- take action to protect themselves from arson
- make sure all staff know how to respond appropriately in the event of an incident
- work with their local fire service to reduce false alarms and enforcement notices
Fire and rescue services across the country will be holding a range of events and activities to engage with businesses in their communities, working with them to help improve their knowledge of fire safety.
NFCC Protection and Enforcement Lead, Mark Hardingham commented: "I’m delighted that the National Fire Chiefs Council is again working with small and medium size businesses to help them ensure that they are able to operate in a way that is safe from the terrible effects of fire. These businesses make a massive contribution to the UK economy and local communities and we want to help them to do this in a sustainable and safe way."
Event coverage and dates
The event will be running, in conjunction with York Business Week in November, four fire safety information events at York fire station. These will take place on:
- 21st November 10:30-12:30
- 21st November 1pm-4pm
- 23rd November 10:30-12:30
- 23rd November 1pm-4pm
The events will cover the legal requirements in relation to fire risk assessment, fire safety arrangements, general fire precautions, staff training, maintenance and testing. Guidance documents will be available along with useful hints and tips.
