Poor Risk Assessments Lead to Fine
A Company and Former Director Ordered to Pay More Than £100,000 Over Insufficient Risk Assessment
Watson, Wild, and Baker Ltd were found guilty of "failing to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment" at a block of flats in Portsmouth.
Inadequate Safety Checks
In 2017, The Enforcement Support Team at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) were made aware of inadequate fire safety checks at Forbes Court, in Hilsea, Portsmouth. Following this, the property management company responsible for the three-storey block of flats reportedly investigated the matter and carried out additional work. Following a comprehensive assessment, the building was eventually deemed safe by a new fire risk assessor.
It was later found that the initial fire risk assessment had failed to look in detail, at every aspect of the building, including the potential for escape routes to be blocked. By not flagging these vital fire hazards, residents' lives could have been at risk if a fire had broken out.
The Trial
On 4th November 2022, a jury at Portsmouth Crown Court found risk assessor Adrian Watson of Watson, Wild, and Baker Ltd guilty of "failing to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment" in July 2022. Allegedly, Watson and his team refused to accept that residents risked "serious injury and death" by not looking at every risk.
Judge Timothy Mousley stated that the risk assessment "fell far short of the appropriate standards" and fined the company and its former director costs amounting to £100,000 in total. The company, Watson, Wild, and Baker Ltd, was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay additional costs of £25,000. Watson was also fined £5,040 and told to pay costs of £10,000.
The Prosecution
Prosecuting on behalf of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, barrister Sailesh Mehta said: "It was the duty of these defendants to ensure that they got it right. Others depended on them doing their duty and the jury found that they fell so far below the duty that the risk was death or serious injury"
Area Manager for HIWFRS, Jason Avery, added: "We will never shy away from taking action if fire safety risks are ignored. By failing to consider every aspect of this building's safety, the defendants had no idea if Forbes Court was a safe place for those who lived there, or not. Fire risk assessments are at the very heart of fire safety for any building and must be carried out properly to protect residents."
"I want to pay tribute to our Enforcement Support Team for their dedicated work in bringing this to court. Our guiding principle will always be to work with people to address fire safety issues, but in this case, those offers were ignored"