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Taking refuge from full compliance: while allowing for some flexibility in the design of emergency voice communications, BS 5839 part 9 requires that any deviations from its provisions should be listed. But by not declaring these up-front, says Andy Howe, suppliers can potentially hide behind this provision until it is too late.

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ALTHOUGH RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND standards have been in place for several years, I am always intrigued at the mixed and varied responses I receive and the difference in knowledge, or the lack of it, on the subject of Emergency Voice Communication (EVC). Hardly surprising when the messages being put out by various documents still seems to fall short of total clarity.

There is a need to be aware of the various regulations and guidelines that place a duty of responsibility onto the design teams for both new and extensively refurbished buildings. But also, in my view, there's a need to encourage open and honest dialogue between 'responsible persons', so that decisions on the need, or not, for compliant EVCs are carefully considered against the information available and the potential risks that a building's design may subject 'vulnerable people' to.

The issues seem to stem from conflicts between legislation which, by and large, is enforceable, and standards or guidelines that are not enforcable but where failure to follow the recommendations in them could be construed, in a case of litigation, as being negligent.

With finite budgets available, this can leave clients and...

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