BURNLEY firefighters are to stage a series of free awareness sessions for local employers to encourage a safer workplace.

Fire officials have warned that there is a moral duty to ensure that employees and visitors to business premises are safe, which is why the fire brigade have launched the sessions.

Steve Loughlin, the sub-officer at Burnley fire station who is organising the training seminars, is confident that employers will find them helpful.

He said: "I strongly advise employers to attend one of the sessions. Caring employers need no inducement, legal or otherwise, to ensure that measures are in place to create a safe working environment and are likely to have done so already.

"Even so they will extract lots of information from the seminars to enable them to keep up the good work.

"In addition, it may be news to them that legislation has changed significantly to put more emphasis on the employer's responsibility to establish a safe workplace without the need for regular inspection visits from the fire and rescue service. This is vital information which they need to know."

The awareness sessions will be held on Tuesday, May 7, Wednesday, May 8, Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15 at the fire station in Belvedere Road, Burnley.

Attendance is free but needs to be booked in advance by contacting 01282 423240.