M&S choose safe evacuation

Marks & Spencer is equipping all its multi-floor trading stores with Evac+Chairs.

In excess of 200 chairs have been supplied so far as part of the rollout programme, allowing the company to comply with Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requirements which state that an adequate means of escape must be provided for all. The Evac+Chair is designed to provide a safe, secure and fast means of getting the disabled and mobility impaired speedily and safely out of any building from any level. It uses continuous rotating v-belts to provide a smooth, controlled descent down stairways.

On choosing the Evac+Chair, Stuart Rogers, Fire, Health and Safety Manager for Marks & Spencer explained: “Out of the options considered, it was the best solution. It enables a single user to evacuate a person with mobility difficulties without the need for lifting and offers a cost-effective solution, because you do not need to alter the building in any way.”

As a large, multi-site organisation, Marks & Spencer is also taking part in Evac+Chair’s ‘Train-a-Trainer’ programme as an effective way of sharing information across stores. An employee receives a higher level of training in how to use the chair to a key trainer status, which entitles them to train other employees in turn.