Yearly Archives: 2011
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Misuse of electrics, a cause of fire.
Posted on December 29, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedWe can take the ignition hazard from smoking out of the equation for workplaces, so what’s likely to cause a fire? Electrical hazards are a common source of ignition. The picture above shows a portable heater that is supplied from a multi-adaptor extension lead. This poses a hazard because (i) an overload may occur at the [...]
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Storage Issues – Fire Risk Assessments
Posted on December 21, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedStorage issues can make for lots of different problems in a building. The Fire Risk Assessment has to address these issues. Storage of tyres in a building brings in the potential for tremendous output of heat and smoke. Fire-fighters could well have real difficulty in approaching such a fire. And how do people in this [...]
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Sprinklers – are they useful or not?
Posted on December 19, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedThink about this little problem that has arisen twice in my recent Fire Risk Assessments. The premises is a four bedroom bungalow, in which there is supported living for mentally and physically disabled persons. John is a large person whom staff cannot lift manually, to the extent that a special hoist has to be used to [...]
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Sawdust in workplaces
Posted on December 18, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedSawdust accumulations make for a severe hazard because if the sawdust is stirred up it acts like a gas and is well capable of exploding. The worst case is that a fire starts, a fire-fighting jet stirs up the dust, an explosion follows; more dust is stirred up and then an even bigger explosion follows. [...]
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Fire exits
Posted on December 18, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedIf there’s one thing guaranteed to annoy your local Fire Officer, it’s a key in a box to open up the fire exit. Arrangements like this simply don’t work over a long period. Someone gets to the exit. desperate to get out because there’s a fire. and the key no longer fits the lock. ( I’ve [...]
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Aerosols in fire
Posted on December 16, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedThink about this. Aerosols are stored in a cupboard. A fire starts, for whatever reason. The canisters heat up. As they get hotter they pressurise. The contents are flammable – you can see the warning symbol on the back of most aerosol canisters. The pressure increases as the aerosols get hotter, until finally one fails, exploding [...]
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Fire Risk Assessments – furnishings
Posted on December 16, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedThere’s no way a worn-out tatty old chair like this can be said to meet ignition standards, so our Fire Risk Assessment is going to recommend that you get it repaired or get it replaced.
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Extinguishers in residential blocks
Posted on December 16, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedWe’ve had a bit of fuss these last few years over whether or not extinguishers should be available in residential blocks. The landlord provides foam extinguishers, a resident uses foam, say, on a burning toaster – and gets electrocuted. Where does that leave the landlord? Ok then, we’ll put in carbon dioxide extinguishers as well. Residents [...]
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Top Storey Club Fire
Posted on December 12, 2011 by bill in NewsFeed, Top Stories51 YEARS AGO THE TOP STOREY CLUB, BOLTON, 1ST MAY 1961 by Bill Armstrong It seems a little strange that a fire in Bolton town centre could have taken 19 lives only for it to have drifted back into the mists of time over the 50 years since it happened. Let’s take a look at [...]
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Fire Risk Legislation
Posted on July 27, 2011 by bill in NewsFeedCurrent legislation says that if you employ anyone you must do a Fire Risk Assessment. Employ 5 or more persons and you’ve got to write it down. Operate a premises under a licence or registration, and again you have to write it down. Click the arrow to view a copy of the legislation… The Fire [...]
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