Who is in the wrong?

[MyPerfectHotel]

Fire alarm goes off in a small building at work.

Everyone makes their way to the fire exit, along the way they find the source, a pan of water had burnt dry. This was taken off the heat and cooker turned off.

All staff noted what had happened.

Half of the staff returned to their desks.

Other half of staff continued to the fire assembly area outside anyway.

One of the groups of staff were reprimanded for their decision. Which do you think and why were they being unreasonable?

The ones who didn’t walk outside were reprimanded?

The ones that were reprimanded were probably the ones that went back to their desks.

I think it's reasonable-ish because until they get an all clear, they can't know for sure that there isn't something else going on elsewhere.

The ones who went back in because health and safety is ridiculously uptight. Even though the source was sorted out🙄

No idea which one was reprimanded, but the staff who continued to the fire assembly area were following the correct procedure for a fire alarm. The staff who went back to their desks were not.

If there's an evacuation due to a fire alarm, you go to the assembly point even if you think there is no danger, unless a fire marshall actually tells you to return to your desk.

So if anyone was told off, it should have been the staff who returned to their desks.

I'm actually going to guess that the ones who carried on outside were reprimanded. They were definitely right to do so, but I can imagine some managers being annoyed and seeing it as a waste of time and thinking that as the (potential) cause had been found that it was unnecessary to still go out

If the alarm goes off, you have to go outside. Even if you know what it is and know the place is safe. In your own home, you can just stay inside but in work, you have to leave until the building is cleared as safe to go back in. Because if you stay and anything did happen, your employer will have to make
massive payouts. So yes, you’re unreasonable to stay and will be reprimanded. In this case, you knew it was safe but what if it was an electrical fire and someone unplugged whatever it was and everyone thought that it was safe but there was actually a fire inside the wall, spreading? And you all just go sit back at your desks?

Nope, if an alarm goes off you have to go
outside until cleared to go back.

Everyone should follow evacuation procedures. Just because one cause of fire was found, doesn't mean there isn't a secondary fire in the building. I am sure there is a clear evacuation policy that states that everyone should meet the fire warden at a designated spot and not to return to their desks until given all clear.
If the people proceeding to the meeting point were reprimanded, I would report whoever did the reprimanding to the fire officer as they clearly need more training.

If it's a small building I don't see the point of proceeding to the fire assembly point to be fair. Surely the point of the fire assembly point is to vacate the building so the fire hazard can be dealt with before giving everyone the go ahead to come back in, if it was dealt with fully on the way out and literally everyone in the small building new that and there was no other risk then there was no point going outside surely?

No one should have gone back to their desks - the source of the fire needs to be confirmed, not just by people assuming that’s what it was. There are procedures to follow, buildings cleared etc.

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.

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

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

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 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 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.

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.

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

and we should use common sense

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.

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.

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.

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

Where you instructed to return and you ignored it?

Report to HSE

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.

Time to whistleblow - that is not safe at all!