The owners of a new karaoke bar in Manchester have been prosecuted after being found to have risked the lives of workers and the public through ignoring a string of fire safety procedures during construction.
An investigation by the HSE at the site of the K2 nightclub in Manchester found large quantities of cardboard and other packaging discarded throughout the site. Middleton-based Chi Yip Group Ltd, which has an annual turnover of £35 million, and site manager Marc Royle appeared at Trafford Magistrates’ Court to admit breaching three health and safety regulations each.
When HSE inspectors visited the K2 site they found potentially flammable materials piled high to the ceiling in the basement, escape routes were not marked and in some cases were blocked entirely. The court heard the HSE inspectors were shocked at the scene that confronted them and, had a fire been ignited at the site, the risk to life would have been extremely serious.
The building’s fire alarm had been switched off and the fire extinguishers found on site had not been tested for seven years. HSE immediately issued two prohibition notices closing the site down until significant improvements were made. It took a total of 14 large skips and several people more than two days, working through the night, to clear the waste materials.
The investigating inspector at HSE, said: “We were called in after receiving a complaint about the safety standards on site and were shocked by what we found. The basement and corridors were blocked with waste materials so it would have been extremely difficult to escape in a fire.
“There was a Chinese restaurant open to the public on the first floor and the neighbouring buildings were also occupied. Just one spark could have set light to any of the piles of cardboard, and then dozens of lives would have been put in danger.
“Chi Yip Group and Marc Royle both seemed to be ignorant of the health and safety laws that applied to them, despite having years of experience dealing with construction projects.”
Chi Yip Group Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 14(1), 16(a) and 21(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £6,000 with costs of £3,313.
Marc Royle pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 38(a), 39(1) and 41(1) and was fined £450 with costs of £2,710.
