Authority, Brian Murdoch and his son David, were ordered to pay more
than £50,000 in fines and costs after admitting to charges relating to
inadequate fire safety standards.
Brian Murdoch owns property at 90 and 91 Coventry Street,
Kidderminster, and his son is responsible for the day-to-day operation
of the premises. In July 2007, tenants had to be rescued from those
premises following a fire.
At Kidderminster Magistrates' Court, Brian and David Murdoch pleaded
guilty to various breaches of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety)
Order 2005. The Fire Safety Order places an obligation upon premises
owners/occupiers/employers to carry out a suitable and sufficient
assessment of the risks to their premises from fire. It applies to
virtually all premises, with a few exceptions which include single
occupancy domestic properties.
The charges against the Murdochs included:
*
failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks
*
failing to ensure that the premises and relevant equipment and
devices were properly maintained and in good working order
*
failing to comply with the Fire Safety Order, so far as was required.
Father and son were fined a total of £11,600 and were required to pay
costs amounting to £39,695.
Attention was drawn to the effectiveness and efficiency of the Fire
Service during the incident in question. Assistant Chief Fire Officer,
Jon Hall, expressed the hope that the case would act as a timely
reminder to people throughout Herefordshire and Worcestershire to
ensure their buildings are safe. He added that the Fire Authority
would use enforcement action and, ultimately, prosecution in
situations where building owners/operators fail to fulfil their legal
obligations to those that use their buildings.
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