Disabled workers’ lives are at risk due to ill informed emergency evacuation procedures, a report has found.
The study by Evac+Chair International found a quarter of business leaders are not aware how many of their employees have access needs and four in five are unsure about their responsibilities.
The report, called Risky Business, also found one in 10 business leaders are either not prepared, or unsure if they are adequately prepared, to safely evacuate employees needing assistance.
The results have led to calls for more guidance from the government and legal requirements for life saving evacuation equipment.
Gerard Wallace, Managing Director of Evac+Chair International, said: “There are more than 4.8m disabled people in UK workplaces and this figure is rising.
“Those responsible for their safety are falling short, with a clear lack of knowledge, understanding and investment amplifying risk in emergency situations.
“Despite recent tragedies highlighting how important it is to be prepared to safely evacuate everyone from multistorey buildings, our findings show that safe evacuations for all clearly needs to move higher up the agenda.
“Our report makes the case to the Government for better education and a firmer legal landscape.”
