Fire is one of the earliest and
most important discoveries done by mankind which led the wheel of progress
spinning. However the same, when uncontrolled, has taken toll in terms of
material, physical and psychological loss of severest kind since the dawn of
civilization. No doubt tremendous importance is paid over fire safety measures all
across the globe.
Fire Safety training for staff is a legal requirement in the UK under the
regulatory reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Fire
safety is the set of practices which are
intended to reduce the destruction caused by fire and to limit the development and effects of
a fire after it starts.
Fire
Triangle
It’s a tetrahedron where four elements must be
present for a fire to exist which are oxygen to sustain combustion, heat to raise the material to its ignition
temperature, fuel to support the combustion and a chemical reaction between the other three elements. Removal
of any one of the four elements can extinguish the fire.
So what are the
possible triggering points or types of fire?
Types of Fire
Class A: Caused by ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth, trash, and
plastics.
Class B: Caused by flammable liquids such
as gasoline, petroleum oil, paint, flammable gases like propane and butane
Class C: Caused by energized electrical equipments
Class D: Caused by combustible
metals such as potassium,
sodium, aluminium, and magnesium
Class K: Caused by cooking
oils and greases
Fire
Risk Assessments
A regular
review a fire risk assessment of the premises helps to identify what is needed
to do for fire prevention and ensure safety of people. You must keep a written
record of your fire risk assessment if your business has 5 or more people.
Carrying out the Assessment
1. Identify the fire hazards.
There can be any triggering point as listed in the types of fire. List out the
sources of items which can trigger fire and which can burn in the premises.
2. Identify people at
risk. You have to identify who could be at risk
or who are more vulnerable.
3. Evaluate, remove or
reduce the risks. Evaluate about what you have found
in steps 1 and 2 i.e. what are the risks of a fire starting and the risks to the
lives of people in the building and vicinity? Remove and reduce risk after
thorough evaluation.
4. Record your findings,
keep a log of any fire hazards and what the measures
taken to reduce or mitigate them. You must have a well laid out plan of fire prevention
and safety of people. If you share a building with others, you need to
coordinate your plan with the rest of dwellers. And most importantly the staff
needs to know what to do in case of fire, and if necessary suitably trained.
5. Review and update the
fire risk assessment regularly. A regular review is must as the
risks or fire safety measures may change. In case of any changes others need to
be timely informed and well trained.
You’ll need to
consider salient points as a part of fire safety measurement:
·
emergency routes and exits
·
fire detection and warning systems
·
fire fighting equipment
·
the removal or safe storage of dangerous
substances
·
an emergency fire evacuation plan
·
providing information to employees and other
people on the premises
·
fire safety training
A risk assessment is identifying sensible and
workable measures to control the risks in your workplace and any good organization would ensure that the fire safety
measure is in order and regularly updated.
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