Building owner fined $4,000 for Fire Code Contraventions
HAMILTON, ON – January 11, 2017 – 2324421 Ontario Inc., the registered owner of a restaurant and bar known as Ora Italian Grill & Bar located at 18 Hess Street South, Hamilton, was convicted on three counts after pleading guilty in Provincial Offences Court on January 9, 2017.
The violations included failure to ensure that the maximum occupant load for the second floor was not exceeded, failure to maintain an exit from the first floor free of obstructions and failure to ensure that combustible materials were not allowed to accumulate adjacent to an outside fire escape from the building. The owner received fines totalling $4,000 in this case.
“Exceeding posted occupant load capacities and allowing obstructions in the path of exit are serious offences that are direct violations of The Ontario Fire Code and are not acceptable actions. Maintaining posted capacities, exits and the path to exits both inside and outside the building, are vital for safe evacuation in a fire emergency” said Chief fire Prevention Officer Robert Simpson.
”Business owners / operators must ensure that all posted capacities are adhered to and that all exit corridors/stairwells/ fire escapes are maintained free of obstructions and combustible storage”.
If business owners / operators have any questions, they are encouraged to contact the Fire Prevention Division of the Hamilton Fire Department at 905 546-2424 ext. 1380, weekdays between the hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm or visit www.hamilton.ca/fire.