FIRE SAFETY
FIRE
What is fire?
For a fire to occur, three elements need to be present;
1. Heat
2. Fuel
3. Oxygen
The three elements are normally described as the triangle of fire and if the three elements come together, a potential fire will occur.
Oxygen is generally always present; the other two elements vary depending on the environment.
In a working environment fuel is present in four types of groups:
Solid fuel
Liquid fuel
Electrical
Gaseous
Paper
Alcohol gel
Computers
Propane
Cardboard
Oils
Televisions
Butane
Textiles
Paints
Cooking appliances
Furnishings
Surgical spirits
Lighting
Fire prevention in the workplace:
It is your responsibility to be aware of the causes of fire and to prevent fires from occurring in the workplace.
What to do if there’s a fire:
If there’s a fire the main priority is to ensure that everybody can reach a safe place quickly. Putting the fire out is secondary and if a workplace does not have adequate means of detecting and giving warning or means of escape, a fire can trap people or they may be overcome by the heat and the smoke before they can evacuate.
You need to give particular attention to any areas, particularly unattended ones where there could be a delay in detecting the outbreak of fire and any areas where the warnings may go unnoticed by people who may not be able to react quickly.
It is possible to take precautions and preventative steps to reduce the likelihood of fire in the workplace as follows:
Reducing Sources of Ignition
Removing unnecessary sources of heat from the workplace or replacing them with safer alternatives
Replacing naked flame and radiant heaters with fixed convector heaters or a central heating system
Ensuring that all electrical fuses and circuit breakers are of the correct rating and suitable for the purpose
Ensuring that sources of heat do not arise from faulty or overloaded electrical or mechanical equipment
Keeping ducts and flues clean
Prohibit Smoking Entirely
Ensuring that all equipment that
What is fire?
For a fire to occur, three elements need to be present;
1. Heat
2. Fuel
3. Oxygen
The three elements are normally described as the triangle of fire and if the three elements come together, a potential fire will occur.
Oxygen is generally always present; the other two elements vary depending on the environment.
In a working environment fuel is present in four types of groups:
Solid fuel
Liquid fuel
Electrical
Gaseous
Paper
Alcohol gel
Computers
Propane
Cardboard
Oils
Televisions
Butane
Textiles
Paints
Cooking appliances
Furnishings
Surgical spirits
Lighting
Fire prevention in the workplace:
It is your responsibility to be aware of the causes of fire and to prevent fires from occurring in the workplace.
What to do if there’s a fire:
If there’s a fire the main priority is to ensure that everybody can reach a safe place quickly. Putting the fire out is secondary and if a workplace does not have adequate means of detecting and giving warning or means of escape, a fire can trap people or they may be overcome by the heat and the smoke before they can evacuate.
You need to give particular attention to any areas, particularly unattended ones where there could be a delay in detecting the outbreak of fire and any areas where the warnings may go unnoticed by people who may not be able to react quickly.
It is possible to take precautions and preventative steps to reduce the likelihood of fire in the workplace as follows:
Reducing Sources of Ignition
Removing unnecessary sources of heat from the workplace or replacing them with safer alternatives
Replacing naked flame and radiant heaters with fixed convector heaters or a central heating system
Ensuring that all electrical fuses and circuit breakers are of the correct rating and suitable for the purpose
Ensuring that sources of heat do not arise from faulty or overloaded electrical or mechanical equipment
Keeping ducts and flues clean
Prohibit Smoking Entirely
Ensuring that all equipment that