Who is in the wrong?

They’d also be missing if there was a head count and could put themselves and the fire services at risk if there coincidentally happened to be another fire.

MyPerfectHotel

"You are correct, apparently we "wasted company time when it was clear the source had been eradicated!"
and we should use common sense"

Wow, totally crap. Not safe at all.

The ones who returned to their desks should be reprimanded,as the fire officer outside would not know they had found the source.

The staff that went back to their desks were reprimanded. Fools!

The people running the place apparently do not understand how even the most basic health and safety measures are supposed to work, then. Dickheads.

What about when a fire alarm is actually just a drill? If people know (or think they know) it's only a drill, would your employer advise them to ignore it and stay put?

I agree that it would be worth contacting your fire and rescue service and/or the HSE about this.

If you wanted to take it further, I would tell your local fire and rescue service before trying the HSE for 2 reasons:

a. The fire and rescue service are the UK enforcers for fire safety and
b. The HSE are so low staffed, that I would worry they would not come out.

This ☝️

I know some folk say H&S has gone mad but it's there for a reason and it's to keep people safe.

Absolutely report to the HSE, that is not on.

Yes, I thought that's what it would be, even though it's wrong - it reminds me of the time a light fitting crashed onto someone's desk at my last employer, and the manager's first concern was whether the light fitting was damaged

Clearly they need better fire training, or even a little common sense, but don't expect them to accept any with an attitude like that

And what if that wasn't actually the source? What if, coincidentally, there was a fire elsewhere in the building?

Time to whistleblow - that is not safe at all!

They haven’t communicated the evacuation procedure correctly then, who is the fire Marshall? Where I’ve worked we always have to wait for an official all clear from whoever the designated fire Marshall is, no matter what, management procedures and staff training needs aligning.

The procedure and line of control should be documented and staff should all be training in what to do - they clearly haven’t done this sufficiently if there was so much confusion, I’d take this up with management and ask what they are going to do to ensure their evacuation processes are improved.

Report to HSE

Where you instructed to return and you ignored it?

Wow OP. Your local fire and rescue service would have a lot to say about that decision...

If it was just a rebuke, roll your eyes.

If it's any form of formal reprimand, challenge it.

Of course, you could always ask for confirmation by email that it's ok to return to your desk before directed to do so by the designated fire marshal should the fire alarm sound again. Interesting to see if they'll put it in writing.

It's not up to the workers to determine if a fire source had been eradicated.

In your fire risk assessment there will be someone authorised to check and clear the building in the case of a fire alarm.

Did they give the all clear?

If yes, then no reason to assembly outside, if no then everyone should proceed outside until given the all clear.

The ones moving back to the desks before being given the all-clear should be the ones reprimanded. If your fire procedure says to gather at the assembly til advised to return, that's what you do. Thinking you know what has caused the alarm, does not mean you ignore the procedure.

They should have stayed outside until given the OK to return - at least, that is the procedure where I work. There is logic to it - suppose the pan was not in fact the cause of alarm and it was actually an overheated electrical wire smouldering away somewhere? Just because you can't see a fire doesn't mean there isn't one. We were once evacuated because there was a fire in the neighbouring shop that had a risk of spreading.

The group that stayed inside were in the wrong. They should have waited outside until given the all clear.

I think they should have been given extra training/advice on the correct procedure rather than a reprimand though.

the ones who went back to their desks should have been reprimanded.

I suspect that it was the ones who carried on to the assembly point who were reprimanded though.

The ones who returned should have been reprimanded.

But this is the 21st century where nothing makes sense so I'm guessing the other group were

The ones who returned to their desks should be the ones reprimanded, if any.

I would say the staff that went outside followed the protocol correctly and did the right thing….but where reprimanded cos the managers found the source and said it’s ok

Well, it should be the ones who went back to their desks but I'm guessing it was the ones who followed procedure?

Actually, neither group should be reprimanded. Re-trained on the rules perhaps.