Many businesses in Hertfordshire are sensibly making changes to their premises to minimise the risks of spreading the Covid-19 virus. We want to highlight and bring to mind your fire safety plans during the pandemic. Your fire safety plans during Covid-19 shouldn’t fall to the wayside, having made changes to your environment.
Changes could include simple measures like one-way systems to maintain separation between customers. More elaborate schemes change the way in which people enter and leave and use buildings. In some cases, these changes could have a material effect on how the building is evacuated in the event of an emergency like a fire. This type of alteration is classed as controlled work under the Building Regulations. The Fire Safety Order also imposes a responsibility on the building owner. Please consider how any changes might affect related issues like means of escape in a fire.
Hertfordshire Building Control, owned by 8 of the 10 district councils in the county, has the expertise to support local business owners by offering free advice on how these changes could affect fire safety. Only if it is necessary, we can then help business owners through the Building Regulations application process and work with them to ensure the safety of their premises and in turn their people and their customers.
Please call us on 01438 879990 or email building.control@hertfordshirebc.co.uk where one of our experts will be happy to advise you. We are keen to ensure that by removing one risk to the public, another is not inadvertently created. Help us to help you and give us a call.
See the Hertfordshire LEP’s guide for Fire Safety plans during Covid-19
