What is an industrial fire?
An industrial fire is an industrial disaster involving fire in an industry. Industrial fires occur in facilities where flammable material is present. It is essential for consultants for fire safety to design industries with necessary safety systems.
How does industrial fire affect the industry?
Fires are a common cause of loss of life and property across industries. Additionally, fire also results in loss of production. Restarting production after a fire incident takes a lot of time.
What are the common causes of fire in industries?
- Combustible dust
- Hot work
- Flammable gases and liquids
- Equipment and machinery
- Electrical Hazards
- Lack of staff training
- Lack of resources and preventive equipment
- Arson
- Blocked fire exits
About 7000 people have lost their lives in industrial fire accidents between 2014 & 2017 in India, as per the latest research. Furthermore, it is known that many minor incidents are not reported. It appears that many facilities provide fire extinguishers and emergency exits as a fire safety system. The facility, however, has many fire hazards like live wires, combustible materials, flammable materials. Additionally, the workforce is unaware of how to use fire safety equipment. Another important factor is that minor incidents are often unreported.
What do consultants for fire safety do to mitigate the risks?
Thus, consultants for fire safety must understand the fire risks in the facility and find ways to mitigate the risks. The fire safety systems have to cater to the requirements of the process and be in line with the statutory regulations. Also, regular training for the workforce is a must. Another important step is to ensure regular and proper maintenance of the systems, and emergency exits are free from any materials.
Consultants must ensure that active fire protection systems and passive fire protection systems are used together to ensure proper protection to both life and property.
To conclude, a facility should have fire safety systems as per regulatory compliance. Consultants for fire safety should design the system as per the facility’s process flow.
