GMB CALLS ON TYNE AND WEAR FIRE SERVICE TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED FIRE SAFETY BREACH AT SUNDERLAND CALL CENTRE

Workers at a Sunderland call centre have been revealing serious health and safety breaches.

The GMB released pictures sent in by workers at the Parseq call centre, of fire exits propped open and no air conditioning.

Fire doors are there for a reason and leaving them open could potentially have dire consequences in the event of a fire says GMB

GMB, the union for workers at the Parseq call centre on Doxford Park, Sunderland, is calling on the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service to investigate alleged fire safety breaches at the Parseq call centre.

During warmer weather fire doors are allegedly being propped open to allow the free flow of air through the offices.

However, fire doors have an important purpose, to prevent the spread of fire so propping them open is dangerous and illegal.

Chris Preston, GMB Regional Organiser said:

“Photographs provided to GMB by workers inside Parseq appear to show fire doors propped open.

"GMB will be making these photos available to the Tyne and Wear Fire Service.

“Fire doors are there for a reason and leaving them open could potentially have dire consequences in the event of a fire.

"GMB is concerned too that it appears working conditions inside the building were so bad in the first place that jeopardising the health and safety of the workforce was deemed acceptable by Parseq managers - whichever way you cut the mustard, there are some serious issues to be addressed.

“If managers were apparently not aware that fire doors were propped open then it is also a considerable worry that staff at Parseq did not feel confident enough to bring these potentially life threatening fire safety breaches to the attention of management on site, although it seems somewhat unlikely that managers were unaware the doors were open and may well have opened them themselves.

"What GMB does know, is that many of Parseq’s clients would not allow these types of health and safety lapses on their premises.

“As a first step, GMB is calling on the Tyne and Wear Fire & Rescue Service to investigate and establish exactly what has happened and why.”

Graham Stein, managing director of Parseq contact centre division said:

We take the safety of our employees very seriously. We have reviewed the statement made by the GMB with regard to the fire doors at Parseq’s premises. On reviewing this in conjunction with the photographs, the doors referred to are fire exits and not fire doors. All internal fire doors are closed at all times and fully audited via premises checks. Under current legislation, it is permitted to open fire exits, for example, to aid airflow. The claims made by the GMB are without foundation and this is another example of the GMB making spurious allegations against Parseq.