As you asked for a regulation I'd go for reg 20: (if any) http://www.legislation.g...0/325/regulation/20/made That said: The legal requirement is to provide training and control - not to make sure everyone evacuates in a unannounced fire drill. I have often left operators at machines where there is an operational need. (this was fully risk assessed and a plan b was in place, the only option was to force stop production, this would destroy an entire run of material costing thousands of pounds!) - note this is different to refusing to take part! So this all falls to planning - involving managers, reps etc, and creating a plan that works for everyone. Have you considered Can the phone system be rooted to a mobile or another office? Can the drill be carried out when an answer-phone is active? I'd also ask what is the business need for answering the phone? for some it would result less marketing calls, for others you could loose a mulit million pound project! The most important thing I'd do is ask the manager who is refusing to assist with creating a plan and system that will conform with law and best practice and operational needs. All that said - if you have a health and safety policy that says managers must comply with safety requirements including drills, then I would quote this not law. if he has breached company policy I'd consider wearing my firing tie :) The joys of second guessing the situation - I hope that's helpful in some way?

I'm with David on this one - if it was not a prearranged drill the whole point of the drill is to test evacuating the premises to, amongst other things, prevent loss of life. A deceased person remaining behind to answer phones is not going to be of much use to anybody!

I am with FS101 here in that if there is a real need to keep a business operational, then it's more than acceptable to allow 'exemptions' from the drill. However, after saying that, it would be better to organise that approach before the event and not during it! Do you think city trading floors, major airport's control towers or ATC centres or national grid centres completely evacuate during a drill. I have dealings with one site between 60 to 120 persons carry on working as normally as possible as not to interrupt critical business activities. These staff attend seminars usually before the drill to ensure they receive fire training and evacuation instruction which is more than other staff to mitigate their absence from the drill. It's all written up and supported in the FRA