Over 60% of people responsible for fire safety in the workplace believe they “could be doing more to ensure the building is fire safe,” according to a new report from JLA Fire, The Fire Safety Accountability report.

Over 500 respondents, who are responsible for ensuring their building/workplace is a fire safe environment, were asked a series of questions about their knowledge of fire safety. Worryingly, 10% of those asked said they didn’t know how to carry out a fire risk assessment and a massive 62% didn’t think they were doing enough to ensure their building was fire safe.

You’re responsible for fire safety in a business or other non-domestic premises if you are the employer, the owner, the landlord, an occupier or anyone else with control of those premises. This is known as the responsible person. The responsible person should assess the risks of fire and take steps to remove or reduce those risks. They are also responsible for procedures relating to firefighting, fire detection, emergency routes and exits, and procedures to deal with serious and imminent danger.

Lack of budget, stress and lack of time were given as reasons for not doing more, despite 15% believing they should be doing more to ensure their properties are fire safe.

Nearly a fifth of respondents also admitted that they had been turning to social media for fire safety guidance. JLA managing director Rob Harris commented:

“While it’s enlightening to see that some demographics have a satisfactory awareness of reducing fire risk, it is concerning that a large proportion of those surveyed are unaware of fire safety procedures, and believe they could be doing more to protect those around them.

“Budget constraints or added stress – or indeed the Coronavirus crisis – are not adequate reasons to avoid rectifying this awareness, as the potential damage a fire could cause would have far more costly implications on a business’ reputation and finances.

“By identifying the gaps in people’s knowledge and fire safety procedures, we know the areas that need significant improvement and we urge employers and fire safety employees to conduct widespread training, equipment checks and procedural updates as a priority.”

JLA’s free Fire Safety Accountability Report is available to download here.