We talk a lot about the importance of having people within your organisation who are able to competently use evacuation chairs. Under the Equality Act 2010, all companies are bound by law to allow people of all abilities onto their premises. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, there is also a duty to get people out of the building in the event of a fire.
Evacuation chairs are crucial in this respect, as are competent operators. There are numerous courses on offer that train people in the use of evacuation chairs. However, much of this training is provided by the companies that make or supply the evacuation chairs. And there is a great variety of these chairs.
Which Evacuation Chair to Choose?
This poses the question: which chair is right for your organisation? It is a good question, as the various models have their own pros and cons. Of course, the supply companies are only able to provide training for their own model, and will have a biased view on their advantages.
Another issue is that for larger organisations, it may be the case that there is more than one evacuation chair on the premises, for example across different floors, and these might be different models. Organising training from different providers for different models is obviously not going to be practical; neither is it going to be cost effective.
Two Practical Courses, Various Models Covered
Alistair Bromhead Ltd offers two independently run evacuation chair related courses. The first is evacuation chair training for operators. It’s a half day course run in-house that covers the deployment and handling of an evacuation chair and its passenger. The course goes further, offering participants advice on where to site chairs within their actual workplace, and helps improve awareness of the multiple uses of the chairs. The course is very hands-on and interactive, with participants gaining practical experience in their own working environment.
The second is an evacuation chair train the trainer course. This course results in an IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety & Health) certificate. It runs over one day, is held in-house and equips staff with the ability to train others in the safe use of evacuation chairs. Again this is a very hands-on course with plenty of interactive training covering both the practical elements and the issues that may arise as a trainer. With your own in-house trainers, you will be able to keep future training in-house, saving on costs in the process.
Both courses can cover a range of different evacuation chair models rather than just one. Our highly trained instructor will offer an unbiased opinion on the pros and cons of different models and their suitability for your particular needs, helping you to choose the ones that are most suitable for your organisation.
To find out more, or to book an evacuation chair training course, call 07932 674707 or email info@abromhead.co.uk.