Introduction In 2004, UK fire brigades attended over 33,400 fires in the workplace; These fires killed 38 people and injured over 1,300; Fire costs money. The costs of a serious fire can be high and afterwards many businesses do not re-open.

Fire Safety This presentation includes: Causes of fires; Fire Safety Legislation; Preventing fires starting; Preventing fires spreading; Ensuring everyone can get out; Fire risk assessment and plans; Means of fighting fires; Training of staff in fire safety: Emergency Procedures Safe use of fire extinguishers

What is Fire? Fire is the result of a chemical reaction called combustion

The Fire Triangle Fuel Oxygen Heat

Causes of fires Arson; Faulty electrical equipment and wiring; Hot surfaces such as lighting and heating elements; Smoking; Equipment that uses a naked flame; Hot liquids such as in a deep fat fryer.

Hazards Associated with Fires Flames and heat; Smoke and toxic fumes; Reduced oxygen; Collapse of buildings.

Stop Fires Starting Store combustible materials well away from sources of ignition; Minimise the amount of combustible materials kept; Control ignition sources; Warn people of the fire risks; Store flammable waste in metal containers; Make sure arsonists do not have access to combustible materials; Maintain equipment.

7 Killed by Dust Explosion

Prevent Fires From Spreading Close doors and windows before leaving; Never wedge fire doors open; Have enough extinguishers of the right type and ensure they are properly maintained; Make sure you know how to raise the alarm and if necessary how to use the extinguishers; Keep waste skips / bins clear of the building.

Ensure People Can Get Out Safely Carry out regular fire drills to ensure everyone knows the evacuation procedure; Display fire action notices; Fire exit routes should be clearly marked; Check exit routes to ensure they are free from obstructions and combustible materials; Fire doors must not be locked during working hours.

If you Discover a Fire Raise the alarm; Only tackle the fire if it is safe to do so and you have received training; Leave by the nearest available exit; Check that the fire brigade has been called; Go to the assembly point.

If You Hear the Fire Alarm Leave the building quickly and calmly; Use the nearest available exit route; Don’t waste time collecting belongings; Go to the assembly point; Do not use the lifts; Do not re-enter the building until the all clear is given.

General Advice Treat every alarm as if it is the real thing; It could be!

General Advice If you are caught in a smoke filled area, crawl on your hands and knees keeping your face as close to the floor as possible where the air will be clearer; If a persons clothing is on fire, wrap a blanket, rug or similar article closely around them and lay them on the ground to prevent the flames from reaching the head.

Fire Safety Legislation Fire safety legislation has developed piecemeal over many years. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 was introduced on the 1st October 2006 and repeals or amends over 100 pieces of legislation including: The Fire Precautions Act; The Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations;

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order Came into force 1st October 2006; Amends or replaces 118 pieces of legislation; Applies to majority of premises and workplaces; Fire certificates will no longer be issued; The Fire Safety Order develops and extends many parts of the ‘97 Regulations; It will normally be enforced by the local Fire and Rescue Authorities.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order Responsibility for complying with this legislation rests with the `responsible person`. In a workplace, this is the employer and any other person who may have control of any parts of the premises, e.g. the occupier or owner. If there is more than one responsible person (In a multi-occupied complex) they must co-operate and co-ordinate with each other.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order It requires the Responsible Person to: Carry out a fire risk assessment; Produce a Policy and develop Procedures; Provide staff training and carry out fire drills Provide and maintain clear means of escape, signs, notices, emergency lighting, fire detection, alarms and extinguishers Record (in most cases) their system for managing fire safety.

Fire Risk Assessment An organised and methodical examination of the workplace, the activities performed there and the likelihood that a fire could start and cause harm to those in and around the site. A step-by-step approach.

1. Identify fire hazards: Sources of ignition. Sources of fuel. Sources of oxygen.

2. Identify people at risk: People in and around the premises. Visitors; Customers; Contractors. People especially at risk: Elderly; Infirm; Young children; Isolated / lone workers.

3. Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk: Preventative measures = Evaluate the risk of a fire occurring; Evaluate the risk to people from fire; Remove or reduce fire hazards; Remove or reduce the risks to people. Protective measures = Detection and warning; Fire-fighting; Escape routes; Lighting; Signs and notices; Maintenance and testing.

Evaluate the Risk of Fire Occurring Accident. Act or Omission. Deliberate.

Evaluate the Risks to People From Fire Fire Starting on lower floors. Fire developing on escape routes. Travel distances. Fire smoke spread – walls, ceilings, shafts, etc. Numbers of people and those at particular risk.

How Fire Spreads Fire is spread by three methods: Convection Conduction Radiation

Remove or Reduce Fire Hazards Remove or reduce ignition sources Naked flame heaters with convectors; No smoking policy; Maintain electrical / mechanical equipment; Arson prevention.

Remove or Reduce Fire Hazards Remove or reduce sources of fuel: Reduce stocks of flammables; Ensure safe storage; Remove or treat high risk surface areas; Control of combustible waste; Remove or reduce oxygen sources.

Remove or Reduce the Risks to People Remove or reduce the risk by limiting the spread of fire and smoke. Ensure adequate precautions are in place to warn people of fire and allow them to escape safely.

Remove or Reduce the Risks to People Protective measures: Detection and warning; Fire-fighting; Escape routes; Emergency lighting; Signs and notices; Maintenance and testing.

4. Record, plan, inform, instruct and train Record significant findings and action taken (If there are 5 or more people). Prepare an emergency plan. Inform and instruct relevant people; co-operate and co-ordinate with others. Provide training.

5. Review: Keep the assessment under review. Revise where necessary No longer valid; Significant changes; New risks or processes; Near miss incidents; Annually.

Fire Safety in the Workplace Fire detection and warning systems Means of escape Doors Escape routes Lighting Signs Escape times Fire-fighting equipment Planning for an emergency and staff training. Maintenance and testing

Fire Detection Fires in occupied areas may soon be discovered by employees who may smell burning or see smoke; Automatic detection should be provided in all workplaces providing sleeping accommodation or where fires may develop undetected.

Raising the Alarm Shout; Manual bell; Klaxon; Automatic fire alarm; You must be able to hear the alarm over the background noise.

What About the Hearing Impaired Someone must be given the job of alerting them; Flashing beacons; Deaf alerter systems;

Means of Escape Employees should be able to escape safely from the workplace; Normal ways in and out of the building are usually adequate; Modern workplaces complying with the current Building Regulations will normally comply; People should be able to turn away from the fire as they escape or be able to pass a fire when it is very small; Single direction escape routes may need additional fire protection.

Escape Routes Escape routes should lead in different directions to places of safety; Doors should be wide enough for the numbers of people; Are doors wide enough for wheelchair users? Doors should open easily without the need for a key; Fire doors should open in the correct direction and be self closing; Escape routes should be kept clear of prohibited items.

Items Prohibited on a Means of Escape Portable heaters of any type; Heaters with unprotected naked flame; Cooking appliances; Upholstered furniture; Coat racks; Temporarily stored items; Lighting using naked flames; Gas boilers, pipes, meters or other fittings; Gaming and/or vending machines; Electrical equipment such as photocopiers.

People With Limited Mobility Refuges; Assistance; Evacuation chairs.

Lighting Escape routes need to be adequately lit; Is the workplace used during the hours of darkness? Is the workplace adequately lit by street lighting? Torches may be adequate in small workplaces; Candles, cigarette lighters or matches should not be considered.

Signage

Signage

Escape Times You should be able to get to a place of safety in 2 - 3 minutes; People in areas with only one escape route or in areas of high fire risk should be able to reach a place of safety or a point where there is more than one route available in about one minute; It is no good just walking the route as you have to take account reaction times , switching off machines, the numbers of people, the disabled, etc.

Fire Fighting Equipment Suitable fire-fighting equipment should be provided in the workplace; Water (or suitable alternative) for general fire risks; Carbon dioxide, dry powder or other types of extinguishers for specific risks; A minimum of one extinguisher for each 200m of floor space should be provided with a minimum of one per floor; Fire extinguishers should be sited on exit routes.

Emergency Plans Action employees should take (who does what); Location of assembly points; Location of fire fighting equipment; Identification of key escape routes; How to raise the alarm; How the fire brigade is to be contacted; Identify high risk areas in the workplace.

Emergency Plans

Training and Instruction The risk of fire including any high risk processes; How to warn others of the fire; The location and use of the escape routes; Assisting and directing visitors from the workplace; The location of the assembly point; The use of the fire equipment provided; How to summon the fire service.

Maintenance and Testing Fire detection and warning systems; Fire fighting equipment; Emergency lighting; Means of escape; Fire doors; Directional signs; Portable lamps, torches and radios

Fire Detection and Warning Systems Weekly: Check all systems for state of repair and operation; Repair or replace defective units; Test operation of systems, self-contained alarms and manually operated devices. Annually: Full check and test of system by a competent service engineer; Clean self contained smoke alarms and change batteries.

Emergency Lighting Weekly Monthly Annually Operate torches and replace batteries as required; Repair or replace any defective unit. Monthly Check all systems, units and torches for state of repair and apparent function. Annually Full check and test of systems and units by a competent service engineer. Replace batteries in torches

Fire-fighting Equipment Weekly: Check all extinguishers including hose reels for correct installation and apparent function; Annually: Full check and test by a competent service engineer

Extinguishing Fires Remove the heat (Cooling); Remove the fuel (Starving); Remove or limit the oxygen (Smothering).

Colour Coding of Extinguishers Water Foam Carbon Dioxide Powder

Classifications of Fire

Water Extinguishers Usually contains 9 litres of water and will last for just over a minute; For use on fires involving wood, paper, textiles, etc; Water must not be used on fires involving electrical equipment or flammable liquids; Direct the jet of water at the base of the fire and work upwards.

Carbon Dioxide Extinguishers Suitable for use on fires involving electrical equipment and flammable liquids; Do not hold the discharge horn as it freezes; These extinguishers do not remove the heat - watch out for re-ignition.

Dry Powder Extinguishers Multi-purpose (ABC) extinguishers can be used on most types of fires; These extinguishers do not remove the heat - watch out for re-ignition; The powder can damage sensitive electrical equipment.

Foam Extinguishers Suitable for most fires involving flammable liquids (Class B); Foam spray extinguishers can be used on normal combustible materials (Class A); As these extinguishers contain water they must not be used on fires involving live electrical equipment.

Fire Blankets Made from tightly woven glass fibre; Used to smother fires; Remove from container by pulling at the straps; Hold the straps or corners to shield yourself; Place the blanket over the container; Turn off the heat and leave to cool.