REPRIEVE FOR FIRE-SAFETY REGULATIONS

RMTnews :: february 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk 8 T he union welcomed the government’s decision to delay plans to abolish essential fire-safety regulations for sub- surface stations which were introduced after the 1987 King’s Cross fire that claimed 31 lives. The government had previously said that it would allow the ‘Section 12’ regulations to continue in operation for at least six months after the introduction of the new and less specific Fire Safety Order. However, following protests from unions and MPs, ministers have indicated that the new order will be delayed and the existing regulations could remain in place until April 2007. “This reprieve is excellent news for fire safety in sub- surface railway stations all over Britain,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. “The Section 12 regulations lay down fire-safety measures that are simply not specified in the new Fire Safety Order, and RMT, alongside the Fire Brigades Union and Aslef, has been campaigning hard to keep them in place. “We hope the government will now use the delay to think again about the wisdom of abolishing specific fire-safety measures in favour of what amounts to a discretionary approach,” Bob said. He said relying on employers not cutting corners was simply not good enough, as transport workers and passengers already knew only too well. The 1989 regulations cover ‘sub-surface stations’ throughout Britain, including those on underground systems in Glasgow, Tyne and Wear and London, but also national rail stations which are ‘sub-surface’, including Birmingham New Street, London’s Charing Cross and several in Liverpool. The government’s first move to scrap the regulations – which lay down minimum staffing levels and other safety standards for sub-surface stations – was opposed by the House of Commons’ Regulatory Reform Committee in 2004, following an intervention by RMT parliamentary group convenor John McDonnell (right). The government subsequently said that it would repeal the regulations in April 2006. However, the RMT parliamentary group put down early day motion 549 defending the fire regs, which has been signed by over 60 MPs. Reprieve for fire-safety regulations