High street retailer New Look has been fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £136,052 in costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of fire safety legislation, following a serious fire at its Oxford Street store in London.
Breaches and alleged breaches included:
- Inadequate fire risk assessment
- Insufficient staff training
Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Councillor Brian Coleman, said: “Good business management includes taking responsibility for fire safety, knowing the law and acting on it. This conviction shows that large companies are not exempt from prosecution and that London Fire Brigade will take action when businesses do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously. Failure to comply with the law can result in a substantial fine.”
James Truscott, Managing Director of Cardinus Property commented: “This latest and indeed record fine should remind us all for the need to carry out appropriate fire risk assessments together with suitable staff training.
Fire risk assessments should be carried out by a ‘Competent Person’ and companies need to ensure that the findings of the risk assessment are followed through and reviewed on a regular basis. It's not expensive to carry out risk assessment and training.
At Cardinus Property we have a UK-wide team of Competent and Professional Surveyors who will carry out on-site fire risk assessments on your behalf. In addition, we have a suite of fire safety e-learning and face to face fire safety training solutions. “
For further information visit www.cardinus.com, email info@cardinus.com or call 0207 469 0200
