The death of an 80-year-old man at Aberdeen Market could have possibly been prevented had the company running the site installed and maintained adequate emergency lighting.
The operator of Aberdeen Market, Market Village Company Ltd, has been fined £80,000 due to the company’s failure to maintain the lighting in the fire escape stairwell. Frank Finnie was found at the bottom of the stairwell, where he was discovered by a police officer on June 9, 2018.
Market Village Company Ltd was prosecuted over a contravention of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, which calls for lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of a building’s normal lighting. As Frank Finnie was found on a fire escape stairwell without adequate lighting, the company clearly breached these rules, with the company admitting liability.
Alistair Duncan, head of the Crown Office’s health and safety investigation unit, warned other companies that this incident should serve as a reminder of the importance of adequate emergency lighting. In a statement, he noted, “The family of Frank Finnie must live with the consequences of the company’s failings.
“While Market Village has taken effective steps to remedy the deficiency in the maintenance of the fire escape stairwell, this conviction and sentence should serve as a reminder to other companies to adhere to the regulations and that failure to do so can have tragic consequences.”
What can companies do to improve their emergency lighting?
Emergency lighting is required by law, and it must be properly maintained. In fact, maintenance is one of the most important aspects of having emergency lighting, as it’s of no use if the system stops working in an emergency.
In this case, it was poor maintenance of the emergency lighting system that led to the sad death of Frank Finnie. Unfortunately, it took the death of a pensioner for Market Village Company Ltd to address the problem, but other companies should make sure their systems are fully maintained at all times.