Escape Guide for Visually and Hearing Impaired

According to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, if you own or manage a commercial building you are responsible for ensuring fire risks and hazards are reduced or removed as far as possible. A huge part of reducing the threat of fire involves undertaking regular, comprehensive Fire Risk Assessments and these include planning thorough evacuation plans to make the process of an emergency evacuation as simple, safe and efficient as possible.

Emergency evacuation plans involve taking into account the needs of each individual within your environment and this means catering to any disabilities your employees may have. This piece of legislation is backed up by various regulations referring to disability discrimination in the workplace.

For example, both the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) and the Disability Equality Duty state that plans should be put in place to “ensure that disabled people do not face discrimination by not being provided with a safe evacuation plan from a building”.

Planning an Evacuation Procedure

When planning an evacuation procedure for someone who is blind or visually impaired, the most important thing to consider if how they will safely and successfully exit the building. This means providing appropriate signage and orientation clues so they are able to find and follow the escape route or one of the most reliable ways to alert hearing impaired people of an emergency evacuation is to install a fire alarm system which features warning lights. In this instance, when the alarm is raised, light beacons flash to warn you of a fire in addition to the audible alarm.

Additionally, fire safety signage featuring Braille or audible signs can be installed. As well as the visual additions if sound enhancement systems are provided in your workplace — such as hearing loops or radio paging receivers — the message that an evacuation is in progress could be transmitted through those.

In some environments, and depending on the individual concerned, assistance may be necessary in the event of an evacuation. In this instance, the ‘responsible person’ has a duty to arrange for assistance to be provided and must also arrange for any fire safety training which is required as a result.

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP)

When planning an evacuation for someone with a disability, it is commonly referred to as a PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan). A PEEP is an evacuation plan which is completely personal to the named individual, taking into account their specific disability, related requirements, location within the building and method of evacuation.

You should also consider their location within your working environment, if they work alone or as a part of a team, if they require assistance in the event of an evacuation and if your current fire alarm system is an adequate means of warning.

Evacuation Procedure Checklist for Visually Impaired

When constructing a PEEP for someone who is blind or visually impaired, it is vital to consider the following:

What type of alarm system do you use?
Are your escape routes clearly and adequately marked?
Is there appropriate orientation information?
Are fire instructions available in various formats?
Are there step edge markings on the escape stairs?
Are there handrails on the escape stairs?
Are step-risers closed off?

Additionally, the ‘responsible person’ must ensure the following questions have been asked and are incorporated into the individual’s PEEP:

Do you work alone in the building?
Do you work out of hours?
Are you aware of the positions of all of the escape routes?
Can you escape routes unaided?
Do you require assistance in an evacuation?
Do you work as part of a team or group?
Can you read the evacuation instructions and fire safety signage? If not, what format do you require them in?

Evacuation Procedure Checklist for Hearing Impaired People

When discussing and arranging a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, the following information should be given to them:

The systems which are available to alert them to an emergency evacuation eg. fire alarm sytems, light beacons, pagers, personal contact etc.
The technical operation of these systems, including how to raise the alarm.

As the ‘responsible person’ in a commercial environment, it is the company owner or manager who must make sure the information has been comprehensively understood. They should also ask the following questions and ensure they are incorporated in the individual’s PEEP: