From: The Daily Mail

My comments in bold at the end of the article.

More than 280 workers die after huge fire in factory 'that supplies clothes to Gap stores in the UK'

• At least 25 workers died in shoe factory in Lahore
• Hours later, a fire in a garment factory in Karachi claimed 289 lives
• Karachi plant 'supplied clothes to Selfridges and Gap stores in the UK'
• Workers trapped in basement, others forced to jump from roof or third-floor windows

• Flames ripped through a garment factory in Karachi, killing 289 people. Hours earlier, a fire killed at least 25 workers in a shoe factory in Lahore.

Last night it was claimed in Pakistan that the factory in Karachi supplied clothes to Selfridges and Gap outlets in the UK.
A relative of one of the owners of the factories said many other clothes made there ended up in the UK.

Blaze: Firefighters extinguish flames at the garment factory in Karachi, said to 'supply clothes to Gap stores in the UK'

Rescue: The fire crews attempt to save workers within the Karachi factory

Grief: A woman mourns the loss of at least one relative outside the Karachi factory

The factory is about 3000 square yards which had four main gates. Three of which were closed after a theft in the factory.
All the four owners of the factory are still at large. The items of the company were also exported to states of Northern America.
Many women and children were thought to be among the dead in Karachi, where a lot of the victims were burned alive.
Others suffocated in the four-storey building, which had metal grilles on many of the windows.
Workers have revealed how they jumped from third floor windows to escape the blaze at a garment factory in Karachi, where many victims were trapped in a basement.
In Lahore, staff at a shoe factory claimed a faulty generator sparked the fire.
'We saw our colleagues burning alive, in flames,' said Shabdir Hussain, from his hospital bed. 'We could do nothing. We saved our lives by jumping from the roof.'

Firefighters were still trying to subdue the blaze in Karachi yesterday morning, as hospital staff revealed its morgue was full with 'around 30 bodies burnt beyond recognition all lined up'.
'People started screaming for their lives,' said factory worker Mohammad Asif, 20. 'Everyone came to the window. I jumped from the third floor.'
Another worker, Liaqat Hussain, 29, spoke from his hospital bed where he was being treated for burns all over his body. He said: 'Within two minutes there was fire in the entire factory.

'The gate was closed. There was no access to get out, we were trapped inside.'

Doomed: Firefighters remove the body of one of the trapped Karachi workers

Surveying the scene: Locals gather to witness the last of the flames being dealt with in Karachi

Fire chief Ehtisham-ud-Din said most of the garment factory deaths were caused by suffocation as people caught in the basement were unable to escape.
Senior Superintendent of Police Amir Farooqi revealed that police were raiding parts of Karachi to search for the owners of the factory, which employed around 450 people.
Smoke was still rising from the garment factory as rescue workers pulled out charred corpses and covered them in white sheets.
Weeping relatives of workers stood around in the street awaiting word of their fate.
At least 35 people were injured. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
The death toll from the late Tuesday fires is likely to raise fresh questions about industrial safety in the South Asian nation and draw more criticism of the deeply unpopular government.

Gruesome task: Medical staff try to identify the bodies of the deceased taken from the Karachi garment factory

Crowds: A group watches on as firefighters deal with the blaze at a shoe factory in Lahore

Critics say Pakistan's government is too corrupt and ineffective to focus on the welfare of workers and a dizzying array of other problems, from crippling power cuts, to widespread poverty to a Taliban insurgency.
Are these the headlines we want to see in Scotland. Make sure that Fire, which is a Devolved issue is not included in the UK Governmet's rush to De-Regulate Health & Safety. The Scottish Government should ensure that non domestic premises in Scotland are exempt from these draconian measures. The existing Legislation has served well with a large drop in the number of fires in Commercial properties in Scotland since it's inception. It is argued the the requirement to have a Fire Risk Assessment has contributed in no small measure to this decrease.
If we take away this requirement as part of a drive for De-Regulation, these headlines unfortuneatly might become common in the UK.

Health and Safety inspections cut in Regulation curb

Health and Safety inspections cut in Regulation curb

My Comments in bold.

Plans to exempt thousands of businesses from health and safety inspections have been announced by ministers. There is no specific mention of Fire, but I would expect this to be the case.

Under new rules to be introduced in April 2013, checks will no longer be routinely carried out on premises considered to be low risk.

Ministers say the checks can place an unnecessary burden on some businesses, but some trade unions say it risks the safety of employees and customers.

The government says it will scrap or change more than 3,000 regulations.

It says its drive to cut bureaucracy will save companies millions of pounds.

Under plans announced by Business Minister Michael Fallon, shops, offices, pubs and clubs will no longer face health and safety inspections.

How can Michael Fallon determine generically what is low risk just by the Purpose Group? How can you deem a Pub or Club to be Low Risk when you have hundreds, possibly thousands of people in often overcrowded areas, not familiar with the building and under the influence of alcohol? How can Offices with a myriad of electrical appliance (Highest cause of fire in the UK) be deemed Low Risk without an assessment?

Mr Fallon said the overhaul would also include changes to rules on employment, but denied that the moves would reduce job security.

'Burdensome inspections'

Businesses will only face health and safety inspections if they are operating in areas deemed to be higher-risk, such as construction and food production, or if they have had an accident or a track record of poor performance.

The numbers of Fires in Construction and Food Manufacturing is so low that they are included in "others" in the latest Scottish Fire statistics. See Table 6.

This shows that the number of Fires in Entertainment, Sport & Culture premises was 143.

The number of Fires in Food & drink premises was 194. This is a total of 337 fires in one of the Purpose Groups Michael Fallon wants to de-regulate.

This figure far outweighs the number of fires in Construction sites and Food manufacturing.

Ministers also said legislation would be introduced next month to ensure that businesses will only be held liable for civil damages in health and safety cases if they can be shown to have acted negligently.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said businesses need to focus on creating jobs and growth rather than "being tied up in unnecessary red tape".

He said: "I've listened to those concerns and we're determined to put common sense back into areas like health and safety, which will reduce costs and fear of burdensome inspections."

And Mr Fallon said the move injects "fresh impetus" into the government's drive to cut red tape.

"We have identified the red tape and now we are going to cut it," he said.

Business groups have welcomed the plan.

Alexander Ehmann, head of regulatory policy at the Institute of Directors, said the announcement was "good news" if it marked "the beginning, not the end, of the deregulation story".


'Lethal consequences'

Michael Fallon: government wants to cut business regulations by half

"Excessive regulation costs time and money, both of which businesses would rather spend on developing new products, hiring staff and building up British business both here and abroad," he said.

But some trade unions have voiced opposition to the move.

And Bob Crow, leader of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union called it an "all-out attack on safety" which he said will have "lethal consequences for workers and the public alike as businesses are given the green light to cut corners".

Source BBC

My goodness. Here we go again. Shades of the De-Regulation task force during the Thatcher years. Health & Safety has been given a rough ride in recent years because of daft decisions. Not by Health & Safety professionals but by amateurs trying to "do the right thing".

There is no mention Fire as being part of this drive but I would not be surprised if it is included. I understand that Business organisations such as The Federation of Small Businesses have been actively lobbying the Government regarding what they see as burdens to Businesses.

It will be a bigger burden if someone loses their life because the requisite knowledge to ascertain whether premises are safe or not is not available.

Surely it is up to the Assessment as to when the Assessment review takes place.

Fire is a Devolved matter and The Scottish Government should not follow in the footsteps of this mad dash to De-regulation. Fires have de-creased substantially in non domestic properties. Argueably because of the Assessments being carried out by Fire Safety Professionals making sure that premises are safe and giving advice via an action plan if the premises are not safe.

If these proposals are followed in Scotland it will make the probability of having a fire in the workplace higher.

This, at a time when many Fire Safety Departments are cutting Staff and the Audits and Inspection numbers are decreasing. The only people ensuring Public and Staff members' safety are private Companies carrying out Fire Risk Assessments on behalf of the Duty Holder.

If this ceases to be a requirement, the instances of fire will undoubtedly increase and fatal Fire Statistics will undoubtedly rise and all the good work carried out in recent years will be undone. In the last week there have been fires in Pakistan & India where there has been an enormous loss of life. These Countries do not have the same Fire Safety requirements as we have in the UK and this is the first step towards a non conformance regime as seen in these and other countries.

Existing Fire Regulations, The Regulatory Reform (Fire) Order 2005 (in England & Wales) and The Fire (Scotland) Act part 3 2005 (in Scotland) were brought in to take the place of Certification under The Fire Precautions Act 1971. These Certificates were issued by The Fire Authority when certain conditions were met. The Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 were also superseded by todays Legislation.

If this De Regulation does include Fire, the whole concept of knowing one's limitations as a Duty Holder are going to be disregarded as the Duty Holder/Responsible Person is being encouraged to save money by not using Professionals. This is a false premise as one third of Businesses involved in Fire never re-open. What then of Michael Fallon's "developing new products, hiring staff" when there is no Business left?

Under these proposals, there will be no inspections of these premises by either The Fire Authority or Fire Safety Professionals. A recipe for disaster.

VIDEO: fire at Clarks Bakery in Dundee

VIDEO: fire at Clarks Bakery in Dundee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxexko0Yr7E&feature=player_embedded

Firefighters have been tackling a major blaze at a Dundee bakery.

Firefighters tackling the blaze and (right) the bakery before the outbreak.

The fire, at Clarks Bakery in Craigowan Road, broke out shortly before 2pm.
Roads in the area were closed and a cordon was set up around the scene as the battle to contain the flames got under way.
The bakery is in a complex that also houses a fast-food takeaway and a large convenience store.
Courier reader Billy Barrie sent us this video from the scene.

• For the latest, see Wednesday's Courier.

---

From Dundee Courier.

Blaze at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium 04 September 2012

Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters were called to a kitchen fire at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in the early hours of this morning.
Watch manager Surjit Singh, who was in charge of the incident, said:
“A fire alarm alerted a couple of security guards to the fire who went to investigate. Initially they attempted to deal with it themselves but quickly realised they needed our help and rang 999.

“Firefighters were on the scene within minutes of being called and even though a couple of them are Spurs fans, they all worked really hard to bring the fire under control and managed to prevent it from affecting other parts of the stadium. From a fire brigade perspective it was a job well done.”
Part of the ground floor kitchen was damaged by fire but the rest of the building was unaffected. The two security guards were treated on the scene by ambulance crews for smoke inhalation.
Crews were called just before 2.15am and the fire was brought under control soon after 3.30am.

From: info4fire,co,uk

Fire law failings sees prosecutions rise

Forty percent of businesses are failing to conduct fire risk assessments in accordance with legislation implemented seven years ago, warns Aviva Risk Management Solutions (ARMS).
In England,based on this unsatisfactory level of compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Fire and Rescue Services have issued businesses with 34,500 informal notifications, 3,200 enforcement notices, 442 prohibition notices and 84 alterations notices.
And fire authorities prosecuted 43 per cent more organisations last year for failing to comply with any part of the order.

(There is no reason to suspect that figures would be much different in Scotland with regards to The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 Part 3) New stastistics have just been issued by The Scottish Government. Once anthese will be discussed in this Blog at a later time.

FireSservice audits increased 20 per cent last year and the number of enforcement notices has fallen, satisfactory compliance rates have remained virtually unchanged in the past two years³.

As the figures show, this is not going unnoticed by the authorities and is leading to enforcement action. And an increased level of audit activity focusing more on higher risk premises such as care homes, hotels and hospitals will bring more and more firms under the spotlight.”
Successful prosecutions can lead to significant fines. Last November, the high street fashion chain, New Look was fined £400,000 for fire safety breaches at a London branch*.

To help small businesses comply with legislation, Fire Isk Assessments & Training Ltd provide a service in which its risk assessors will conduct fire assessments on a firm’s behalf, producing formal documentation, identifying fire risks and providing evidence that the requirements of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006  have been fulfilled.

If shortfalls are identified, risk assessors will advise businesses on how fire risks can be improved.

Often businesses tell us that they either don’t have the time, don’t know where to begin when it comes to fire safety, or they need additional support and advice from someone who knows what they are talking about.

But failing in the basic responsibilities of completing fire risk assessments means that firms are not only breaking the law but also not managing the hazards on their premises.
The use of risk assessors to conduct health and safety consultations is a cost effective way to bring in the necessary expertise to ensure fire safety. It can be a useful business strategy until businesses are in a position to appoint their own suitably qualified employee to conduct fire assessments.

The risk assessment will include a fire safety policy, which identifies fire risks such as combustible or flammable materials and incorporates procedures for evacuation, as well as making recommendations to improve fire risks. For Fire Safety compliance in Scotland Call us for more information and free advise on 0800 999 3032

Much of the foregoing was taken from a statement by Andrew Crouch from ARMS. They can be contacted here: 0500 55 99 77.

Firefighters save school from potential destruction 03 September 2012

Firefighters have said quick action prevented a school from being destroyed after a fire in the building’s roof.
Six fire engines and an aerial ladder platform were sent to the blaze at the Sneinton Church of England Primary School soon after midday on Thursday 30 August.
Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus used four hose reel jets and an aerial ladder platform to fight the fire in the single storey building. A thermal imaging camera and positive pressure ventilation fan were also used.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by work being carried out on the school’s roof.
Station manager Andy Lindley told BBC News:
"We had to break into the roof from the classrooms underneath as well as through the roof from above. If we were short of resources we could potentially have lost the school.”

From: info4fire.co.uk

Asda fined for fire safety breach

• Asda supermarket has been ordered to pay more than £55,000 in fines and costs after breaching fire safety rules at its Slough store.

Reading Crown Court heard two fire exits were repeatedly chained and padlocked over a 10 month period.

Royal Berkshire Fire Authority brought two charges following an inspection at the store in June 2010.

Asda admitted the two charges and was fined £20,000 per charge and ordered to pay more than £15,500 in costs.

A fire authority spokesman speaking after the hearing said the inspection uncovered a number of safety breaches including locked fire exits, obstruction of fire escape routes and combustible items blocking exit doors.

In a statement an Asda spokeswoman said the court had recognised the supermarket's "good safety record" in its 544 stores.

She added: "Two years ago a junior manager at the Slough store did not follow the same rules that thousands of other Asda workers follow up and down the country each day.

"This individual no longer works at the store or for Asda.

"The store has passed a number of fire safety audits since 2010 and continues to work hard to keep its customers safe and sound."

Posted by BBC News.

House fire, Edinburgh

House fire, Edinburgh
    

This entry was posted on September 3, 2012 by L & B Fire & Rescue Service 

 

 

A 63-year-old man was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after a house fire in the Liberton area of Edinburgh on Sunday evening (2 September).
Firefighters from Liberton and Tollcross responded to reports of a house alight at Jean Armour Avenue shortly before 7.45pm.
They discovered a fire in the bedroom of a single storey mid terrace bungalow. The blaze was extinguished by two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and using a high-pressure hose reel.
The male casualty was transferred into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service who took him to hospital after he experienced breathing difficulties because of the smoke.
The fire was put out at 8.05pm and crews spent some time cutting away damaged areas of the room where the fire occurred.