Ferno, the world leading manufacturer of medical equipment to the emergency services, has launched a new consulting service to ensure companies keep their people safe in the event of an emergency evacuation.
Simon Shepherd, commercial director, said: “A significant number of Ferno customers operating across a whole range of industries and sectors are struggling with new health and safety legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 and the fire safety Regulatory Reform Order 2005.
“These two major changes in law mean companies have to take responsibility for the evacuation of everyone on their site, whether they are employees, visitors or contractors, and that particular attention needs to be paid to procedures for disabled, injured or unwell persons.
"As a result we have developed an Evacuation Audit service which helps companies understand what measures they must put in place to quickly and safely evacuate a building and comply with regulations.”
The Ferno Evacuation Audit is a new form of risk assessment which considers all aspects of an emergency evacuation including the management of disabled people, treating the injured, the effects of smoke, lighting and crowd control.
Buildings which have to comply with the new legislation include offices and shops, factories and warehouses, residential care and educational premises, theatres, cinemas, healthcare and transport premises and places of assembly – large or small.
Mr Shepherd said: “Our work with the emergency services means that our staff are experts in all aspects of emergency evacuation planning. A Ferno Evacuation Audit ensures that companies meet all their obligations under existing legislation.”
Ferno, which has been trading for 40 years, is recognised as the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of emergency patient-handling equipment and mortuary products and exports to more than 95 countries worldwide.
