Industrial Safety and

Environmental Management
23MECH40H

Prof. Tamer A. Mohamed

Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department
The British University of Egypt
Fire Hazards and Control -
NEBOSH
 Basic Principles
• The basic principles of fire and combustion
can be represented by the fire triangle:
 Basic Principles
• For fire to exist three things must be present:
– Fuel – a combustible material or substance (such as paper,
wood, petrol, diesel, butane or acetylene) that is consumed
during the combustion process.
– Oxygen – consumed during combustion when it is chemically
combined with the fuel. Oxygen is present in air at a
concentration of 21%. During a fire oxygen can also come
from other sources such as certain oxygen-rich chemicals
(usually called oxidising agents) such as ammonium nitrate.
– Heat – a heat or ignition source is essential to start the
combustion process. Once combustion has started it
generates its own heat which is usually sufficient to keep the
fire burning (in other words once the fire starts the heat
source can be removed and the fire stays alight).
 Basic Principles
• Once a fire has started it will produce heat, a
flame (the zone where oxygen and flammable
vapours are chemically combining in the
combustion process) and smoke.
• The fire triangle is useful for two reasons:
– Fire prevention – keep the three elements apart
and fire cannot start.
– Fire fighting – remove one of the elements and
the fire will go out.
Common Causes of Workplace Fire
• Fires in workplaces start for many different reasons.
• Some of the most common causes of workplace
fires are:
– Electrical equipment – faulty wiring, overloaded
conductors, misused equipment and the incorrect use of
electrical equipment in inappropriate environments.
– Smoking – in particular carelessly discarded smoking
materials such as cigarette butts and matches.
– Heating appliances, e.g. electric fan heaters and space
heaters, especially when left unattended.
– Cooking appliances, e.g. fat pans left unattended.
Common Causes of Workplace Fire
– Deliberate ignition – many workplace fires are
started deliberately.
– Hot work – any work involving the use of naked
flames (e.g. a propane torch or oxy-acetylene
cutting equipment) or that creates a significant
ignition source (e.g. arc-welding and grinding).
– Unsafe use and storage of flammable liquids and
gases, e.g. petrol, acetone and liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG).
– Mechanical heat – generated by friction between
moving parts such as a motor and its bearings.
 Fire Hazard and Control
• Identify the fire hazards:
– Sources of fuel
– Sources of ignition
• Identify the fire control systems:
– Fire prevention programme
– Fire detection and alarm
– Means of escape
– Fire-fighting equipment
– Emergency procedures
 Minimising the Risk of Fire
• The best course of action to ensure fire safety is to
prevent fires from starting. Fire prevention can be based
on some simple ideas taken from the fire triangle:
– Control fuel sources.
– Control ignition sources.
– Control oxygen sources.
– Control of Hot Work
– Maintain Good Housekeeping
• In particular, minimise these sources and keep them
physically apart.
 Fire Detection and Alarm Systems
• One of the most critical factors in determining whether people live or
die in a fire in a workplace is how quickly the fire is detected and how
quickly people are alerted.
• This is also a critical factor in determining how easily the fire will be
controlled and extinguished.
• Ideally fires will be detected as soon as they start and building
occupants will be alerted to the presence of the fire immediately so
that an appropriate response can be mounted. This response should
usually be a full building evacuation and a call to the local fire service.
• Fire Alarms
• Smoke Detectors
• Heat Detectors
 Fire Classes
Portable fire extinguishers are classified by the types of
fire that they can most effectively reduce.
 Fire-Extinguishing Systems
• Standpipe and hose systems provide the hose
and pressurized water for firefighting.
– Hoses for these systems vary from 1” to 2.5”
diameter.
• Automatic sprinkler systems are an example of
a fixed extinguishing system, because the
sprinklers are fixed in position.
– Water is the most common fluid released from
sprinklers.
 Fire-Extinguishing Systems
Portable fire extinguishers are classified by the types of
fire that they can most effectively reduce.
Emergency procedures
General Principles for Means of Escape
• There should be a means of escape available to every
person in a workplace.
• Two or more separate escape routes may have to be
provided so that if one route is blocked there is another
available. This is common in high occupancy multi-storey
buildings.
• The travel distance that a person has to cover from their
location in the building to the final exit out of the building
should be as short as possible.
• The width of corridors, passageways and doors should be
sufficient to allow the free and fast movement of the
numbers of people that might be anticipated.
General Principles for Means of Escape
• The escape route should be clearly signed and
appropriately lit.
• Emergency lighting should be provided where
necessary (in case the mains power supply
fails).
• The route that a person has to take should be
unimpeded by obstructions such as stored
material or inappropriate doors.
 Stairs and Corridors
• Stairs and corridors used as means of escape
usually have to be protected against fire
access to a higher degree than other parts of a
building.
 Doors
• Doors in the means of escape must be suitable:
– Easily operated by a person in a hurry.
– Wide enough to allow passage.
– Opening in the direction of travel (though this is not
usually a strict requirement where occupancy
numbers are low).
– Able to be opened at all times when they might be
needed (not locked in such a way that a person in
the building cannot open them).
 Signs
• The escape route should be easy to follow.
• Signs should be provided so that people can
see their available escape routes quickly and
easily.
• These signs should meet relevant regulations,
standards, etc. and be carefully selected and
fixed so that they are very easy to interpret.
 Assembly Points
• An assembly point is a place where workers
congregate once they have evacuated a building.
This allows for a roll-call to be taken and
identification of any missing persons.
• Assembly points should be:
– A safe distance from the building (it may be on fire).
– At a safe location (not in a high hazard area).
– At a location where further escape is possible if needed.
– Out of the way of fire fighters.
– Clearly signed.