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#1 Posted : 25 April 2007 18:49:00(UTC)
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Posted By rsellars
where I work the fire alarm monitor has got 1 section isolated which is the roof void and 2 showing faults and has been like this for the past 6 months.
I have put in numerous hazard reports to no avail, at the last H&S meeting the engineering said it was being fixed that day he was fibbing.
I know there is some leeway for getting things fixed but I think this has been going on too long, just wanted a few opinions on what I could do to speed things up a bit?
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#2 Posted : 25 April 2007 19:13:00(UTC)
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Posted By shaun mckeever
What is the purpose of the fire alarm, is it for life safety or property protection?

It may not be quite as simple as it would seem. Sometimes fire alarms are installed when they are not required.

I would suggest checking the fire risk assessment. It should tell you what purpose the fire alarm is for. If the assessment indicates it is required for life safety purposes then the chances are that the employer is not complying with his legal duty to maintain the equipment as required in the Fire Safety Order.
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#3 Posted : 26 April 2007 09:52:00(UTC)
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Posted By TBC
Agree with Shaun and add -
I would suggest that your alarm system has been set up in such a way for a specific reason. One may be a requirement of your insurance and thus if not properly maintained it may then invalidate your insurance. Fire spread is also a major concern if you don't know what's going on in your roof void. It may also put fire-fighters at risk if fire goes undetected in that area.

Suggest you get it sorted ASAP.
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#4 Posted : 26 April 2007 10:10:00(UTC)
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Posted By Crim
A fire in the roof void will probably go undetected for a long period of time, and could possibly get so out of control that the whole building gets involved in fire.

Result - no workplace - no work!

Also the insurance aspect is so important as the Insurers could refuse to pay out.

Result - no rebuild - no work!

Is senior management aware? If not they need to be told!
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#5 Posted : 26 April 2007 15:31:00(UTC)
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Posted By rsellars
like I said the faults have only been showing for the past 6 months prior to this it was o.k.
what concerns me is that the roof void has ammonia pipes and electrical wiring running through it so I would have thought it was essential to get the faults fixed.
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#6 Posted : 27 April 2007 00:40:00(UTC)
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Posted By Ken Taylor
I'd put my concerns in writing to the relevant manager and organise a fire safety risk assessment based upon the current state of the fire alarm system. This would also be an appropriate matter for the local H&S reps and H&S Committee.
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#7 Posted : 27 April 2007 09:30:00(UTC)
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Posted By TBC
And you also have ammonia up there - lovely mixture. Would the fire fighters know about this on entering the building?

Do you have signs to warn?

Have you got detection equipment up there?

Always difficult to assess without know the full circumstances and layout of the buildings we talk about when trying to assist on this site.
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