Industrial fires can be cruel. They
have the potential to kill and injure people, inflict crippling losses
and even wipe you out of business. In today's competitive world, industrial
fires are therefore a real threat.
Most fires can be traced to "Unsafe
Acts" or "Unsafe Conditions" or a combination of both these factors. Unsafe
acts refer to people they stem from ignorance, negligence, carelessness,
haste, wrong attitudes and habits et al. Unsafe conditions emanate from
the plant or factory environment -be it faulty equipment, inadequate/inappropriate
fire protection systems, unsafe plant layouts, ineffective systems and
procedures etc.
Any plan for preventing and controlling
fires should therefore endeavour to eliminate or minimise unsafe acts and
conditions at the workplace.
People are the greatest cause of
fire. Everyone in your organisation needs to be trained to identify fire
hazards and how to eliminate them. An employee is as aware of fire prevention
methods as his management trains him to be. When a fire breaks out in a
factory, employees react the way management has trained them to, or not
trained them to. If not properly trained, a person can not only be responsible
for causing a fire but also through ignorance and panic, for helping it
spread-costing lives and property. Thus having trained employees and backing
it up with safe procedures, systems and supervision is the key to a safe
workplace.
It's a known fact that ignorance
and mistakes of people are the major cause of fire. Yet, a person, even
though he may be working in a highly volatile environment has this careless
attitude that “fire will never happen to me'. Sometimes by the time he
is proved wrong, it is too late.
The time to act is now. Instil in
yourself and everyone you work with, a firm and ready awareness of the
dangers of fire. For, when fire comes out of the blue, it will be this
knowledge and your presence of mind that will make or break you.
Start simply by knowing, identifying
and eliminating basic fire hazards in the factory. That way you can keep
a sharp vigilance on these areas.
Next, know the first steps of coping
with the eventuality of a fire. Know how to call a fire brigade; how to
handle fire extinguishers; how to escape and help others escape. Conduct
periodic fire drills. Ensure that at least one fully-trained employee is
available in every shift.
In India a couple of safety organisations
have been engaged in preventing and controlling fire losses. One of them
is the Loss Prevention Association of India(LPA) - a non-profit body engaged
in promoting safety and loss control through education, training and consultancy.
LPA has, over the years, developed specialised expertise in the field of
fire safety, training, safety audits, fire loss control, major hazard control
and disaster management, large-loss fire investigations and defensive driving.
Any analysis of LPA's experience
over the past 16 years reveals the emergence of various factors that all
organisations should take note of. These can be summarised in the form
of a 20-point checklist.
-
Elimination of the possibility of
short-circuits by ensuring that all electrical fittings are as per standards
and maintained property.
-
Control on smokers in and around
`No Smoking' zones.
-
Proper storage practices such as
segregation, clearance from electrical fittings (Naked bulbs, open tube
lights, switch-boards) sprinklers, etc.
-
Good Housekeeping- Cleanliness, Clearance
of combustible waste, etc. This would also help avoid spontaneous combustion.
-
Education workers on properties of
chemicals/materials handled by the Training workers in Dos and Don'ts in
the event of emergencies.
-
Adoption of proper stacking and storage
practices.
-
Installation of lightning conductors
as per standards. Providing safeguards against sparks from static electricity,
e.g. containers to be earthed, pipelines to be bonded, etc.
-
Restriction of entry into zones where
flammables/combustibles are stored.
-
Use of spark arrestors by vehicles
moving in areas where flammable vapour is likely to be present.
-
Segregation of fire risk areas.
-
Observance of good engineering practices
i.e. use of appropriate materials of construction, strict adherence to
pre-commissioning/commissioning steps, following inerting schedules, etc.
-
Observance of good maintenance practices-
specially rotating mechines which tend to generate heat and sparks.
-
Strict observance of Hot Work Permit
Systems.
-
No indiscriminate modifications-examine
ramifications in advance by Hazop Studies, etc.
-
Control of dust in work place.
-
Installation and maintenance of fire
protection systems as per TAC/Bureau of Indian Standards guidelines.
-
Development of an emergency response
plan identifying duties of each person during emergency. Fire drills to
be carried out periodically in which Top Executives should participate
visibly.
-
Conducting Fire Safety Audits with
in house expertise annually and by independent, reputed, professional safety
organisations LPA once in 2 years.
-
Protect the plant against hazards
within and outside by having suitable construction.
-
Never violate fire safety laws- they
are meant for your protection.
It must be realised that promotion of
fire safety demands the existence of a safety culture in the organisation.
And a safety culture can't be grown overnight through crash programmes
or by observing Safety Weeks and fire drills alone.
Fire Safety should be a Corporate
responsibility and should be evident in terms of management commitment,
a written down plan, and adequate allocation of funds for improving safety.
In fact the safety function should be treated at per with marketing/HRD,
finance and production.
There is already a change in the
perception of many companies towards fire prevention and control. Today
fire safety is not viewed as an expenditure concept or a necessary evil
in professionally managed companies. It is seen as a good investment and
the returns on investment are many- a well motivated workforce, increased
production, better industrial relations et al. All of which result in better
performance and increased profitability. |