Group 3

Midshipmen ramos
 Examples of Fire Hazards in the
Workplace
• March 16, 2016 • 5 Likes • 1 Comments

• Nic Wilson-deRozeFollow
• Group Marketing Manager at BusinessWatch
Group Ltd
• Every year workplace fires cause not only serious
damage to property but also injury and death. In
the UK there were 22,200 non-residential fires
reported in 2013/4, with a significant proportion
of these fires occurring in the workplace.
 Although there are a number of reasons
why these fires break out, many are due
to negligence and could be prevented with
more care and attention. As well as
ensuring your business is compliant with
fire legislation by having a Fire Risk
Assessment completed, you can also
minimise risk by identifying potential fire
hazards in the workplace.
Whilst all working environments are different, here are
some common fire hazards in the workplace to look out
for to reduce the risk of accidental fire.

Storage of Waste and Combustible Material

Build-up of waste such as paper, cardboard and other

combustible materials can be a problem in many
workplace sites, in particular offices. Regular disposal
of such materials reduces the risk of it acting as a fuel
for potential fires should they break out. A simple source
of ignition, for example a discarded cigarette, can set
this alight resulting in a fire that burns rapidly.

Avoiding storing rubbish on-site is the best solution, or if

this isn’t possible make sure it is in a designated area
away from main buildings and any possible sources of
ignition.
 Bulk Carrier Practice - Cargo ventilation
In this section

With kind permission from the author, Capt. Jack

Isbester and in association with The Nautical
Institute the UK P&I Club, in the interests of its
members presents the second edition of the
highly acclaimed, Bulk Carrier Practice.

In the coming months the UK P&I Club will be

serialising extracts of the book in order to raise
awareness of issues in the Bulk Carrier trade.
The first in this series concerns
Cargo Ventilation. Owners,
charterers and shippers will be
well aware of the potential loss
and subsequent claims mis-
management in this area can lead
to. This chapter details the best
practices to be taken to avoid such
loss and claims
Cargo Ventilation

Speaking generally, bulk cargoes are ventilated to

prevent the formation of cargo sweat or ship’s sweat
which could damage the cargo, to reduce the harmful
heating of a cargo, and/or to remove hazardous gases
from the cargo spaces. Ventilation in the wrong
circumstances can do considerable harm and before
a decision is made to ventilate a space it is necessary
to consider the requirements of the cargo, the
temperature and humidity within the holds and
outside and the presence or absence of sea spray.
The types and positions of ventilators with which the
ship is provided must also be taken into account.
Hold ventilators: Most bulk carriers built
since 2000 are provided with two hold
ventilators set into the forward end of the
hatch covers and a similar pair of
ventilators set into the after end of the
hatch covers.(Figs. 15.1) These are easy to
open or close, easy to clean, cheap to fit
and maintain but are more exposed to sea
water and spray on deck than are
mushroom ventilators, and therefore
require more attention. Ventilators of this
type do not contain fans. The
arrangements within the hatch cover
depend upon whether the hatch panels are
single (Fig. 15.2) or double (Fig. 15.3)
skinned.
Older bulk carrier and any bulk
carriers fitted with mechanical
ventilation are more likely to
be provided with two or four
ventilation trunks per hold,
with one or two situated at the
fore end of the hold, and one
or two at the after end.
To avoid passing through the topside
tanks these ventilator trunks are situated
close to the ship’s centreline. Within the
hold each such trunk often terminates in a
simple square, round or rectangular
opening in the deckhead (Fig. 15.4).
Alternatively trunking may continue down
the bulkhead, with slots at intervals to
admit air to the hold at various levels.
Portable plates can be put in place to
close the lower slots, when ventilation at
lower levels in the cargo is not wanted.