Disability Discrimination in Workplace Evacuations
Means of Escape for Disabled People
The Fire and Rescue Service’s role in fire evacuation involves ensuring that the means of escape in case of fire and the associated fire safety legislation are adequate and reasonable for all individuals in a building, including those with disabilities. Under current fire safety legislation, it is the responsibility of the person(s) in charge of the building to provide a fire safety risk assessment that includes comprehensive disability evacuation plans for everyone likely to be present, particularly focusing on how disabled individuals can safely exit the premises during an emergency.
An effective evacuation plan should not depend on the Fire and Rescue Service's intervention to function effectively. In multi-occupancy buildings, the responsibility often lies with various individuals for each occupying organization as well as the building owners. Therefore, it is crucial for these parties to co-operate and coordinate evacuation plans collectively. This becomes particularly challenging in multi-occupancy buildings where different escape strategies must be synchronized from a central location.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) reinforces these obligations by ensuring compliance with the current fire safety legislation in England and Wales, specifically the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. It mandates that employers or organizations providing services to the public take on the responsibility of ensuring that all individuals, including disabled people, can evacuate safely in the event of a fire.
Failure to accommodate the safe evacuation of disabled individuals may be regarded as discrimination and a violation of fire safety legislation requirements. Additionally, public bodies are subject to the Disability Equality Duty (DED), which has required since December 2006 that they proactively promote equality for disabled individuals. This duty emphasizes the need for public entities to ensure that disabled people are provided with effective disability evacuation plans, preventing any discriminatory practices.
This document serves as guidance for organizations on how to ensure the safe evacuation of disabled individuals from their premises.
For more information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-means-of-escape-for-disabled-people/fire-safety-risk-assessment-means-of-escape-for-disabled-people-accessible-version