Posted By David Ferrier We have an employee who has been off work for several months due to an injury, and subsequent surgery, to both feet, and has now returned to work, having been certified as fit to return by both GP and specialist. The employee still requires the use of 2 crutches to walk, is likely to do so for some time yet, and our offices are on the 4th floor of a shared occupancy building. There is an elevator for everyday access and fire stair escapes for emergencies. Our "safe places of refuge" are the landing areas of the fire escapes. We are proposing to conduct a specific risk assessment for this person. Should this be treated in the same way as a permanent disability? All thoughts welcome.

Posted By Frank Hallett Hi David Further to Charleys post - succinct and to the point! You identify that you currently consider the Fire Stair landings as "safe places of refuge". I am of the opinion that you will need to give a considerable amount of thought to this concept and as a test of how it feels to the disabled and abandoned; experience it for yourself; including the eventual evacuation by my ex-colleagues and evac chair. Numbers of persons passing through the landings and the sizes of the landings in conjunction with the type of floor will all pay a part. Oh yeah, don't foget that it's not that easy to open a standard FRSR door whilst balancing with 2 crutches. Also, the door itself will require space to open without batting the disabled person down the stair! Frank Hallett

Posted By John Webster Once again we see the safe refuge interpreted as a place where disabled people are abandoned whilst awaiting the fire brigade. This is just not how it should be, and I think from his last response David realises that. The safe refuge should be but a short term, temporary holding point. As soon as the initial rush of "able bodied" people is past, then those with mobility difficulties can be assisted to evacuate. It should just be there to smooth the flow. In a properly designed and maintained building your disabled person could have ample time to get down 4 flights of stairs even using the "bum" technique. What we don't want is those rushing down from upper floors falling over them.

Posted By duncan abbott It is always makes sense to undertake personal risk assessments for workers with disabilities be they temporary or permanent. As in this case the same risks are faced by the person using crutches irrelevant of the time that are to use them. In your risk assessment do undertake a PEEP personal emergency evacuation plan. If you take Facility Management I have written an article on this subject explaining it in full. Let me know if you want a copy of the article. I run a course for risk assessors to undertake personal risk assessments for disabled workers (currently running across the UK)and it is amazing the amount of people who little knowledge of PEEPs.