In
1995 the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was introduced to
ensure that disabled employees and visitors, whatever their
disability should be treated as well as people without
disabilities and according to their needs. Consequently it
is illegal to treat a disabled person less favourably, or to
place them at a substantial disadvantage to people without
disabilities.
The Act includes planning
and procedures for evacuation and the needs of disabled people
must be included in any fire evacuation plan or strategy. An
employer, building manager or service provider of premises in
the UK including offices, hotels and public buildings must take
reasonable steps to change practices or procedures that make it
difficult for a disabled person to be evacuated safely.
Any employer or service provider that
fails to make provision for the safe evacuation of disabled
people from their premises may be viewed as discriminatory as
well as failing to comply with the current fire safety
legislation.
The best practice approach
to address these issues is considered to be the development of
Personal Emergency Evacuation
Plans (PEEP), which need to cover both full time employees and
visitors.
What
is a PEEP?
Everyone has different abilities and every person is different. The
unique characteristics of each building mean it is vital to prepare
for emergencies with disabled people in mind. All disabled people
need a PEEP – an individual plan which details how they will be
alerted to an emergency, and how they will reach safety.
Peeps are based on the need to consult with disabled employees and
make provision for disabled visitors, taking into account the
differing features of every building. The ‘Fire Safety Order’
requires the responsible person to make provision for the safe
evacuation of disabled people in the event of a fire.
Consideration should also be given to implementing a ‘buddy’ system
where a colleagues with a working knowledge of the disabled persons
needs is immediately on hand or contactable in the event of an
emergency.
Don’t
get caught out. Consult the experts in this field, Evacuation
Strategies.
With an extensive background in
evacuation planning, we have quickly become established as THE
leader in evacuation consultancy, design, implementation, training
and testing, assisting many leading organisations improve and enhance
their plans including:
Detailed documentation, covering the PEEP
needs to be completed and circulated. Clear concise evacuation maps
and instructions, detailing how disabled people can reach a place of
safety and identification of refuge areas should be displayed.
Our 3D
Evacuation maps supersede anything
currently available, providing a solution that does not rely on
complicated images or large sections of text, both of which present
challenges to those with learning, language or reading impairments.
For infrequent visitors, a generic
approach to PEEP design, integrating the 3D Evacuation Maps can be
created.
Why not call us today to see how we can help you and your
organisation improve your emergency evacuation plans and procedures?
Contact Us Today!
