Treating staff fairly

Deaf people are often overlooked in emergency evacuation procedures, which could expose them to unnecessary risks. In most premises fire warning or alarm systems generally have no provision for persons who are hearing impaired and do not employ flashing beacons or other methods to alert persons with hearing difficulties.

Deafness is one of the most common disabilities, affecting around 15% of the population. Couple that with the fact that more than 100 000 fires occur in premises each year, you can see that the risks posed to deaf people are very high.

The commencement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order on 1 October 2006 placed a duty on the 'responsible person' to carry out a risk assessment of their premises and implement any of the identified control measures required by their own findings of the assessment.

Alarms are a physical feature of a building and, therefore, in accordance with the 2004 Disability Discrimination Act, adjustments must be made to ensure the safety of deaf persons whilst on your premises and it should be remembered that they also need the protection of an emergency alarm.

Where there is a need to evacuate high-risk groups, personal evacuation plans are required. The PEP will identify a safe method to apply for the evacuation of an individual with a disability. This will be achieved by establishing the level of warning the person requires and an effective procedure for this person's safe means of escape.

If you have established a need to alter your premises or facilities, you must ensure the adjustments are made according to the correct standards and regulations. It is important to note that in applying the Disability Discrimination Act you should not overlook the requirements of any specific health and safety legislation and any adjustments needed should only be made if they do not affect health and safety or endanger others.

The installation of a fire alarm system, with equipment geared towards deaf people, will only comply with health and safety legislation if it conforms to the standards outlined in BS5839 - 1: Fire Detection and Alarm Systems for Buildings.

Guidance within BS5839 - 1 states that measures, other than those given in the standard, should be suitably assessed so that they do not put persons at risk. The completion of this assessment is required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.

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