True story!
We recently met with one of our clients and discovered during the course of reviewing their building for fire and safety that they had been overbilled for their annual Life Hazard Use fee paid to the Division of Fire safety. Additionally they had incurred penalties and fees for not meeting some of the criteria. We found during our review that not only were they not responsible for the initial fees, but the increasing penalties were not valid as well. It is important to note that the fees and penalties for several large buildings equaled thousands of dollars!
Our Fire and Safety expert and former Fire Safety Code Inspector, Jerry Hubbs sat down with the client and thanks to his extensive knowledge of the fire safety codes was able to provide a more in-depth consultation. Our goal is to help our clients not only correct or avoid potential penalties, but also provide comprehensive support to help better manage the compliance and record keeping process as well.
Life Hazard Use and Fire Safety Guidelines
Don’t just assume you are in compliance, know you are. This isn’t something you can leave to chance or neglect, not only for the sake of workplace safety, but for the possible penalties you might incur simply by failing to meet certain important hazard and fire safety guidelines. It’s critical that you catch up with the absolute most current regulations in the code, and make sure your business is in compliance.
Why this is even more important now?
New Jersey has increased the Life Hazard use fees as well as all permit fees in some cases as high as 30%. Several changes have been made to the fee structure and there is talk of more changes to come. Annual reviews are important to make sure you are in compliance, meeting safety standards and are correctly billed the appropriate fees. It’s important to make sure that you are being assessed for business activities and buildings that are still active or in use. We can assess your plants/warehouse and buildings to audit your life hazards and/or overall building safety. Do not assume a State inspector will take the time to advise you or make recommendations. Contact us today to discuss how we might help.
You can reach us here or call us at 856-467-5400.