Fire exits in a shared factory building
Updated 2026-09-01
Context
A buyer required a social compliance audit before onboarding a components supplier. The supplier's address on the business licence matched the site, but the building turned out to be shared with two other companies.
Assignment
Assess working hours and wage records, health and safety conditions, and emergency preparedness, against the buyer's code of conduct. Report findings by severity, with an owner and a date for each corrective action.
Observations
- · The supplier occupied the second and third floors. The stairwell exit on the third floor was partly blocked by raw material stored by a company on another floor.
- · The supplier's own floor exits were clear and signage was present, but the evacuation route beyond the supplier's area was maintained by the building owner.
- · Wage records were complete for the preceding twelve months and matched the production records sampled.
- · Fire drill records existed for two of the four quarters; the two missing drills were during the supplier's peak season.
Outcome
The blocked exit was raised as a major finding, with the building owner named as the responsible party and the supplier as the party that has to escalate it. The buyer accepted a corrective plan on the condition that the supplier provide written confirmation from the building owner within thirty days.
Takeaway
In a shared building, a supplier can be compliant on its own floor and still be unable to guarantee the route out. Ask who controls the exit, not just whether the exit exists.
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