l Communication – how to alert staff and customers and move people away from danger. Communication is Key: UC&C Devices When communicating during an emergency, it is important to consider the 3 C’s – confirmation, clarity and control. Staff of retail and hospitality premises should be enabled to communicate suspicious packages, clear immediate areas and move people into safe directions, control the situation and their surroundings, call for help and keep witnesses who may be able to help emergency services. If that is not enough to contend with, consider how vital communication systems are for medical emergencies – being able to clearly contact ambulance services may mean that lives could be saved, or casualties could be less severe. Whether your customers are in the standard or enhanced classification, and whether the Bill is passed or not, resellers should consider recommending devices that enhance communication between staff and customers. UC Advanced have rounded up a few categories of devices that will enable communication between staff and customers, whether they are in a crisis situation or not. The Bill, if passed, does not have the intention of placing undue burdens on small businesses, but rather requiring those responsible for premises to fulfil necessary but proportionate steps, according to their capacity, to help keep the public safe. For example, a small venue that has limited funds and is not in scope might not have the budget for high spec tech equipment, but would be able to raise the funds for a loudhailer. Counter to that, an extremely large venue that relies heavily on electricity to generate their communications systems such as audio visual equipment and inbuilt sound systems should be investing in a back-up power unit. We set out some communication systems suggestions, for premises’ owners classified as standard tier or enhanced tier.
buildings based on capacity sizes: l Capacity of 199 or less: largely
inapplicable, but public safety should be upheld l Capacity of 200 to 799 individuals: Standard Duty classification
l Capacity of 800+ individuals: Enhanced Duty classification
Regardless of the premises size, some of the measures suggested in the Bill should be considered and implemented by any organisations or person who has an interest in keeping their visitors and customers safe. One last important fact to mention before we get into the details of some of the categories and recommendations is to say that if and when Martyn’s Law is passed, all premises owners will be given a period of time to implement the recommendations, as the draft puts it, “We expect this period to be at least 24 months to allow for the set-up of the regulator and to ensure sufficient time for those responsible for premises and events in scope to understand their new obligations, and to plan and prepare.” The draft Bill gives no details on who, how and when inspections of those premises included in scope will be vetted, but one can assume that insurance companies will have a tick box on their annual renewal forms regarding compliance. For a thorough read on the results and feedback on the standard tier consultation, you can get this on the gov.uk website. Whilst only 1,981 full responses to the consultation paper were received, it gives a good idea of the appetite for the Bill. Standard or Enhanced: Procedures Apply Whether the premises are classified as ‘standard’ or ‘enhanced’, the Bill will look to those venues to have procedures that may be expected, so far as reasonably practicable, for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. Put simply, l Evacuation – how to get people out of the building l Invacuation – how to bring people into the premises to keep them safe, or move them to safe parts of the building, l Lockdown – how to secure the premises against threats, e.g. locking doors, closing shutters and using barriers to prevent access, and taking shelter in a secure location, such as a cupboard or meeting room, until the all-clear signal is given.
Whether your customers are in the standard or enhanced classification, and whether the Bill is passed or not, resellers should consider recommending devices that enhance communication between staff and customers.
Staff Headsets, Earpieces and Walkie Talkies
Often manufactured to be discreet, these devices are popular with bouncers, security staff and event managers. It is essential that staff at different positions in the venue can communicate with each other, often over loud music and the rabble of partygoers in difficult
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