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Fire strike - advice for managers

13 Nov 2013

The Fire Brigades Union have announced that they are shortly to stage another strike which will occur on Wednesday 13 November 10am to 2pm.

fire exit

During the fire strike periods, line managers are asked to be vigilant, promoting the following guidance will prove useful in ensuring we all remain in a safe environment:

  • Please remind staff and any visitors of the evacuation procedures
  • Please try to ensure that the working areas are kept free of combustible rubbish, obstructions and trip hazards
  • Please prompt staff that use of portable heaters requires a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk to have been undertaken
  • Please remind staff electrical equipment is to be switched off when not in use, unless required to operate overnight
  • Please ensure equipment in use overnight fails safe where appropriate, and a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk is undertaken
  • Please remind staff exits from the working area are to be kept clear of obstructions
  • Please promote good housekeeping no equipment or material to be stored in passageways or around desks that would prevent staff safely leaving the area in an emergency
  • Please encourage staff to be responsible by frequency of local inspections of your areas of responsibility
  • Prompt staff to ensure that frayed or defective electrical power leads are replaced immediately or removed from use
  • Try to ensure that broken or defective electrical equipment is removed or replaced
  • Please remind staff that kitchen equipment is to be switched off when an area is unoccupied
  • Please remind people that food or any other substance being heated should not be left unattended
  • Please be aware that naked flame or other ‘hot work’ should not be undertaken without appropriate risk assessments.

Thank you to everyone for their continued efforts during the previous three Fire Service strikes. Your continued support and vigilance has ensured that we have had no incidents of fire and only two reported activations of fire alarms across all university campus buildings, which clearly demonstrates that your continued vigilance during these periods of vulnerability has paid off. Please continue to help to keep us all safe.