Case Study –
Oxford Nightclub
The details
Gauging the levels of occupants in public buildings is a vital element of fire safety and should be covered during a fire risk assessment, although this is often overlooked. Although we were in the midst of COVID-19 during this job, maximum occupancy is always crucial to ensuring people are not put at risk.
In this instance, we completed a fire risk assessment at a popular Oxford nightclub in the city centre; on the face of it there were sufficient escapes. However, thanks to our knowledge and by referring to the correct guidance (places of assembly), we were able to drill down into the detail to provide the appropriate numbers – even though the owner wasn’t totally happy.
The factors we took into account included door width openings and mechanisms to open, close proximity of doorways, discounting the widest escape, reducing numbers from the basement to 60 where there is only one escape, and how robustly the procedures work (taking into account intoxicated customers that may slow down the evacuation process down).
We always ask a number of questions when we’re assessing a building’s safety: “how safe is this building?”, “how would I feel if my family and I were here?”, “how quickly can people be alerted to fire?”, and “how quickly can people get out to a place of safety?”
Call us for a quote for your business — 01832 735874
Mark and his team organise site visits very efficiently for our range of properties across London
The whole town turns out for our event and we spend a huge amount of time making it fun for all. We are always grateful to Mark for double checking our procedures helping us to make it safe for everyone.
Mark was a fantastic contributor and expert consultant for a programme ACC recently produced on Fire Safety for Care Homes. Mark was a great pleasure to work with, always extremely supportive, forthcoming and responsive to all of our queries, demonstrating great expertise. He was able to adapt quickly to the challenges of filming, taking on the additional role of presenter with great patience, skill and professionalism. We look forward to the opportunity of working on further programmes together in the future.
Make an enquiry