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Businesses have been warned to reassess their fire safety procedures after a former pub landlord was fined more than £16,000 for ongoing ‘serious breaches’ of safety legislation. Mr Bhupinder Singh Mann admitted to 16 infringements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in front of Isleworth Crown Court last week. The former owner of The Star Public House in Hillingdon had been repeatedly warned over his lack of safety measures and left officers no choice but to pursue a conviction. In August 2008, fire officers discovered a number of failings at Mr Mann’s establishment, including no fire extinguishers, no emergency signage and no evidence of a risk assessment. After explaining their concerns, officers made repeat visits to the building and failed to see any improvements, issuing an enforcement notice to try and alter Mr Mann’s practices. When he ignored the notice, officers prohibited the owner from using the upper floors of the building, which again went unnoticed. Mr Mann was ordered to pay £16,015 in fines and costs by the judge and fellow business owners have been told to take this as an example of the unrelenting pursuit of health and safety officials. “Ensuring you know about fire safety law is not an option - if you are the person responsible for a premises it is a necessity,” announced London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety Regulation, Steve Turek. “If people do not adhere to the legislation, then as shown in this case, we can prosecute.”
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