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Every year hundreds of people die and thousands are injured in fire-related accidents that could easily be prevented. Injuries can include burns and illness resulting from smoke inhalation. Fire and explosions at work account for two per cent of major injuries reported annually to HSE.

Call 0800 066 99 07 and get our personal injury team working for you straight away. The call is free, the advice is free and nothing will ever be deducted from your compensation.

The wide variety of flammable substances found in the workplace range from the obvious, for example, heating fuel, petrol, paint thinners and welding gases to the less obvious, such as packaging materials, dusts from wood, flour and sugar. For a fire to start, fuel, air and a source of ignition are needed. Controlling or elimination of these can prevent fires and any fire which is out of control is likely to imply negligence on someone's part.

Because of a decrease in the numbers of inspectors and an increase in the number of premises to be inspected, inspectors tend to concentrate on high-risk workplaces. Fire certificates lay down Fire Authority requirements for fire precautions in the workplace.

These requirements include:

• the use of premises; what a premises is used for
• means of escape; what escape routes are provided and ensuring that they are not blocked
• signage; proper signing of fire fighting equipment and escape routes
• smoke controls;
• provision of appropriate and adequate fire fighting equipment;
• provision of smoke and fire alarms;
• employee number limits for the workplace;
• and frequency of fire drills.

Always take legal medical and legal advice if you suffer as a result of a fire. injurywatch.co.uk's free legal helpdesk is always a good place to start.

Possible areas of negligence

Areas where an employer may be negligent include:

• adoption of unsafe working practices (eg allowing flammable substances to build up)
• failure to provide a premises suitable for the purpose: high risk activities may need special provisions to be taken in the location or construction of the work premises
• failure to equip premises adequately (eg with fire doors)
• failure to provide adequate means of escape: failure to ensure free passage along them (blocked fire doors for example)
• failure to properly sign and provide direction to access routes
• failure to provide adequate fire fighting equipment (eg sprinkler system)
• failure to provide, maintain and check operation of fire and smoke alarms
• failure to properly maintain equipment and machinery (friction can cause fires)
• provision of poor or too infrequent cleaning
• overcrowding
• failure to properly train staff (both to deal with fires and evacuate the building

What to do next...

As always, gather the evidence:

• see a doctor - the effect of your injuries might be obvious in most cases, but smoke inhalation injuries don't always show up straight away
• keep a dossier. Include a diary recording all the details of the incident, who you saw and all the expenses or losses you incurred, including receipts
• fires should always be notified to the Health and Safety executive (http://www.riddor.gov.uk). In most cases the Fire Service will be involved and will compile a thorough report.
• record as many details of the incident as you can for yourself - take photographs of the site and any conditions you think might be important, (signed and dated on the back). Prepare a sketchmap of the site showing the source of the fire, where you were, the positions of escape routes, fire equipment etc.
• gather personal details of all the people who witnessed the fire
• gather information (backed up by witness statements from others) as to how long the hazard had remained unrectified. It may be that a safe condition had persisted for some time or that the clean-up of dust was unsatisfactory.
• note and detail any measures which had been taken to warn of or otherwise diminish the risk
• note and detail any measures which exacerbated the risk
• if the fire and your subsequent injury results in the attendance of the fire service, your legal team should be able to obtain full details of the fire service report.