Cardiff business, Twenty4 Fire and Security, has launched a tool to help businesses legally comply with fire safety laws. The main objective of the newly-developed software is to get businesses compliant with a simple, stress-free process.
Every business in Wales has to conduct an annual Fire Risk Assessment by law. However, a huge 34% of businesses fail to keep up with this requirement, resulting in 28% of Welsh business owners being fined and in some cases, imprisoned.
Developed by the firm’s in-house IT department, the tool has taken over a year to perfect, utilising forward-thinking technology to help businesses understand fire safety requirements and identify gaps in their current fire safety set-up.
David Baldwin, Director and Co-Founder of Twenty4 Fire and Security, said:
“In 2016 we created a fire safety audit as a trial to help us carry out fire and safety audits on businesses using our iPads
Over 80% of businesses fail in one way or another. Where some are minor issues, many have no idea what their responsibilities are. This leaves them wide open to heavy fines should the fire officer call in, or even worse, there is a fire.”
The fire audit tool is designed in a quiz-style format where business owners answer questions about their premises. Questions include stating how many fire extinguishers are in certain rooms and what equipment is used in the building, plus much more. In total there are 40 questions to answer. Once the answers have been completed and submitted, the system generates a score, highlighting the level of risk the business facesMade available to businesses for free, business owners can now use the tool on Twenty-4.co.uk, gaining a clear view of their fire safety needs and obligations
Alex Lloyd-Hughes, Co-Founder and Director of Twenty4 Fire and Security, believes this tool will go a long way in protecting businesses in South Wales and beyond.
He said:“We’ve decided to make our audit tool available for everyone to use for free. It’s a simple five minute questionnaire that anyone can carry out whilst stopping for a coffee or waiting for a meeting.
The results give a clear outline of where your business is lacking, allowing us to give advice on the next steps to improve. This will save businesses hundreds and thousands of pounds in fines and go a long way in protecting businesses, staff members and customers”.
