A worrying new report reveals that nearly half of all key healthcare estates decision-makers do not trust the fire safety measures they have in place.
With the ongoing inquiry into the Grenfell Tower blaze, re-evaluating current fire safety procedures, not only in high-rise buildings, but in all government-owned buildings, is being seen as crucial.
And a survey carried out by Allegion UK and involving more than 500 decision-makers across the education and healthcare sectors shows that nearly half of all respondents do not strongly trust the fire safety measures they currently have in place, with more than one out of five respondents believing their fire safety procedures to be compromised.
In order to rectify the issues, experts are calling for more-indepth research into where standards are faltering.
In healthcare, the respondents who say their fire safety measures may be compromised state that this is due to a lack of fire safety product knowledge, a lack of training, and budgetary constraints.
Of all healthcare respondents, 65% say they have also seen fire doors propped open, which is one of the most-common breaches of fire safety regulations.
Our research suggests that facility managers for healthcare premises may not be carrying out sufficient protocols and there are legitimate concerns over the safety of both staff and visitors within these buildings
And almost a fifth of respondents said they have experienced a fire safety incident in the last three years.
Commenting on the findings, James Keith, end user solution strategy manager at Allegion UK, said: “Our research suggests that facility managers for healthcare premises may not be carrying out sufficient protocols and there are legitimate concerns over the safety of both staff and visitors within these buildings.
“As an industry, we’re failing on fire safety standards due to insufficient product knowledge and general complacency. Of course, after the Grenfell tragedy and inquiry, there are a lot of question marks around fire safety regulations.
“We’re urging facility managers to review their current fire safety measures, including their exits, doors and evacuation plans, to improve the safety of those who enter such premises.”