Construction firm fined £165,000 for ignoring fire safety during works

Construction company Glovers Court Ltd has been fined £165,000 after repeatedly failing to implement adequate fire safety measures during the redevelopment of a former warehouse into 35 apartments in Lancashire.

The case was brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in collaboration with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS).

Preston Magistrates’ Court was told that six-storey Glovers Court project was inspected by LFRS on 16 May 2023, which identified multiple serious fire safety issues. These included:

• no fire detection system
• no means of raising an alarm in case of fire
• inadequate escape plans; and
• construction work not phased to maintain fire compartmentation across floors.

Following the inspection, the HSE issued both a prohibition notice and an improvement notice, requiring the company to halt work and implement a fire management plan. Despite these notices, inspections in June and November 2023 revealed that construction work continued without remedial action.

HSE enforcement highlighted that Glovers Court Ltd breached several regulations under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, including failures to plan, manage, and monitor construction activities to ensure fire risks were controlled:

33(1)(c) HSWA by virtue of breaching Reg 11(1) CDM 2015
Reg 11 (1) CDM The PD must plan, manage and monitor the pre-construction phase and co-ordinate health and safety matters to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the project is carried out without risks to health and safety.

33(1)(c) HSWA by virtue of breaching Reg 13(1) CDM 2015
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 13(1).   The failures relating to general and process fire precautions can be identified in the failure to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase to ensure it is carried out without risks and by virtue of Reg 16 (1) &(2) and Part 4 because construction work is being carried out.

33(1)(g) HSWA (two breaches)
It is an offence for a person to contravene any requirement or prohibition imposed by an improvement notice or a prohibition notice (including any such notice as modified on appeal).

The company, now in liquidation, was found guilty in its absence and also ordered to pay £10,512 in costs.

"This company showed a blatant disregard to both fire safety and the laws in place to protect people and property, said HSE Inspector Christine McGlynn after the case.

"Many construction site fires are preventable with proper planning and control."

A spokesperson for LFRS added: "This prosecution demonstrates the importance of multi-agency collaboration and highlights the critical responsibilities of developers, owners, and managers regarding fire safety."

Building engineers are reminded of their duty to ensure adequate fire detection, alarm systems, escape plans, and compartmentation are maintained throughout the construction phase, in line with HSE guidance and legislation.

Full HSE guidance can be found here: HSE Fire Safety on Construction Sites
.