Appeal Court Guidance on Fire Sentencing

Recent statements have been issued welcoming a Court of Appeal decision which offers guidance on sentencing for serious breaches of fire safety legislation.

The judgement focused on a store’s appeal against a sentence and is the first decision made by the Court of Appeal under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).

The store pleaded guilty to two breaches of the RRO at Southwark Crown Court on 25 November 2009 following a prosecution by the London Fire Brigade.

The company was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £136,052 in costs by HHJ Rivlin QC, Recorder of Westminster, making it the largest fine to date under the RRO.

Alongside the risk of huge fines, shocking statistics reveal there were 27,342 non-domestic fires, equating to 75 per day during 2008. There were 15 fire related deaths and 1234 related non-fatal casualties in these buildings.

Can your company afford to ignore these statistics?

To find out more information about how legislation affects your business, contact us to arrange a FREE Onsite Survey.

As the Scottish distributor for the Evac+Chair -the World’s No.1 Emergency Stairway Evacuation Chair we can help advice you.