What is counted as transport premises?
Transport premises is an umbrella term that refers to any type of transport hub, like an airport, ferry port, or bus/train station. All of these types of places can hold a lot of people, therefore fire safety is a top priority. However, interchanges and tunnels are also included under this blanket, since incidents at high speeds involving heavy machinery are especially at risk of fire.
Why is fire safety important at transport premises?
Fire safety is very important, firstly because they often contain very large numbers of people, whether that is waiting for a departure, or travelling through a tunnel. The safety and wellbeing of each of those people has to be considered. Secondly, the overwhelming majority of the vehicles at these transport premises are carrying highly flammable fuel. If an ignition point somehow gets close to the fuel, there would most likely be a massive, deadly fire.
What fire safety should be practiced in transport premises?
The first step in any sort of fire safety is to do a detailed risk assessment. The risks found during the assessment should then be minimised, and the changes should be recorded. The owner of the transport premises, or the local council if the premises is publicly owned, should then install relevant fire equipment, such as proper signage, sprinklers, fire extinguishers, and all fire exit routes should be clearly marked in compliance with the law.
Who is in charge of fire safety in transport premises?
The owner of the premises, whether private or public, is ultimately held responsible for making sure all of the necessary preventative fire safety steps are taken. This includes installing equipment and arranging fire training for employees. However, immediate fire safety should remain in the hands of the day manager, or in the case of publicly owned transport, the local council.