Rank: New forum user 
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We have an office block in London. Is it a legal requirement for us to have Invacuation Procedures in the same way as we have Evacuation Procedures or is it just best practice? If we do need Invacuation Procedures, is there a legal minimum requirement to practice them (do we need to hold mock invacuations annually)?
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Rank: Super forum user 
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https://www.protectuk.police.uk/ GUIDANCE has been moved to protectuk since May 2022.
Not sure how you document an effective policy for an office in London where there are masses of the general population in the vicinity of your building - obvioulsy less clearly defined than a school perimeter. Then there is the how to communicate an incident, to who and how - mobiles will not be effecfive due to not-spots and if it is a major incident cell tower overload.
Critically with an invacuation how do you stop others entering the premises in particular the prepetrator(s) whilst ensuring all employees are accounted for? Locked doors keep out the honest.
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Rank: Super forum user
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https://www.protectuk.police.uk/ GUIDANCE has been moved to protectuk since May 2022.
Not sure how you document an effective policy for an office in London where there are masses of the general population in the vicinity of your building - obvioulsy less clearly defined than a school perimeter. Then there is the how to communicate an incident, to who and how - mobiles will not be effecfive due to not-spots and if it is a major incident cell tower overload.
Critically with an invacuation how do you stop others entering the premises in particular the prepetrator(s) whilst ensuring all employees are accounted for? Locked doors keep out the honest.
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Rank: Forum user
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As Runduit says these are more tricky to develop. I tried to write an invacuation policy but kept stumbling. Things we go stuck on: - are the doors automatically locked to prevent anyone getting in? especially the person you don't want. If not how are you doing that without putting anyone at risk? What are you doing with staff that are potentially locked out now having to face a possible risk? - how are you sounding the alarm? you need to differntiate between evac and invac, where I worked at the time mobiles were useless as it was a big metal box and not everyone had radios (as the senior safety advisor I didn't have one), how are you communicating? - where internally are you meeting? there could be a number of floors, number of areas where you could meet to do your role call / headcount? I wanted to paint spots on the floor in different colours and allocate people to certain areas.....I thought that was a simple solution. - are you appointing marshalls? will this be the same as the fire marshalls or different? Just my few thoughts. I never did manage to get it off the ground, not sure if my sucessor had better luck???
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Rank: Super forum user
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Originally Posted by: LisaParry  We have an office block in London. Is it a legal requirement for us to have Invacuation Procedures in the same way as we have Evacuation Procedures or is it just best practice? [/quote The simple answer is No (……or maybe!!!) No - as you MUST have an evacuation procedure to satisfy your legal duties in relation to fire safety legislation, but the same legislation does not cover invacuation (other than if you include certain procedures where people 'stay put' for a while - but that is not what I see as an invacuation) There is no overt/legal requirement for an invacuation unless the circumstances or location of your business make the risk of a 'bomb attack' more likely - then all manner of H&S legislation comes into play.
An invacuation is way more tricky to develop, manage and operate. I have been been heavily involved in developing invacuations at high risk sites and all have been hugely difficult
Firstly, whilst you can lawfully prevent access to your building, but you cannot easily lock people in without the potential of a world of legal pain re deprivation of liberty and human rights etc. Although you have more control over staff, for visitors, customers and contractors that is a bit more tricky. So any invacuation needs to be approached on a ‘best endeavours’ basis -
Then if we are talking about a risk of Improvised Explosive Devices, you may need to consider a phased approach as a carrier bag IED at your front door will need a different response than an abandoned 16 tonne truck at your goods in entrance.
Then you need enough floor space to get staff to assemble in safe areas - away from windows and vulnerable areas Accounting for staff is near impossible and what do you do about disabled staff? If you use Evac Lifts they cant be used and if you intend to move disabled persons to the ground floor from say the 6th, you may put them at more risk at that level
Seriously, unless there is a significant risk , therefore a significant reason to develop an invacuation plan - steer well clear
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 1 user thanked Messey for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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As Messay says - look at why you need one. What is your office involved in? Is there any political reason or ethical reason why you may attract unwanted public behavior (trying to be politically correct there) if so then yes its something you should consider seriously, just look at the problems face by hotels recently believed to be housing asylum seekers. Otherwise you probably have more important matters to deal with.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Can we clarify what we are talking about? I would say that invacuation is the opposite of evacuation and that ,means when there is a threat outside you property your people return to the building to seek shelter from sort of an attack taking place on the street etc. this might be a group of roaming gunmen such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks or the 2013 Westgate( Kenya) shopping mall attack. This sort of attack has never happened in the UK but the Paris January 2015 attacks were a bit like that. People fall back to their offices which are a safe refuge. That only makes sense if the building is a) designed to withstand some sort of attack and b) you have some sort of armed response within your organisation who can prevent the attackers getting in with the people invacuating. This is not going to happen in the UK. If people are trapped outside the best thing is for them to disperse not to congregate. Then there is a lockdown where people who are already in the building stay put lock their doors and wait to be rescued that is different and it might make sense but organising a system to do this is not easy for the reasons mentioned.
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1 user thanked A Kurdziel for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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There is a duty under R3 and R8 of the management regs but it isn't specific no more than if you assess the risk and it is lower risk to stay safe in place then up to you...chemical sites do it quiet often when dealing with toxic release...the counter terrorism act 2015 puts a duty to prevent which may also include lockdowns etc... It is implied but not specific: The HSW Act general duties, The Management Regs R3 and R8 - risk assessments and procedures for serious and immienent danger, RRFSO emergeny plans including arrangements for safe in place, Counter-Terroism and Security Act 2015 - prevent indirectly encouraging safe in place.
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