Fire & Fire Safety

Legislation

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is Law.

In Scotland, The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005

In Northern Ireland the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997/1999

The cornerstone of the regulations is fire risk assessment. through this the following need to be considered

* Preventing fire occurring
* Preventing fire spreading (design of premises as well as fire fighting)
* Ensuring people are adequately protected if a fire occurs - includes employees, visitors, neighbours and fire service personnel.

Emphasis is on the employer being responsible for managing risks from fire. To achieve this they need to have competence to assess and control the risks.

Fire - preventing

The main ways of preventing fire are by controlling fuels and ignition sources. In particular, suitable storage for highly flammable materials and selection of equipment in flammable hazardous areas.

Oxidising agents need to be handled carefully and kept away from flammable materials.

The possibility of arson must be considered, and keeping sites secure and free from rubbish and other flammable items is important.

Fire - detection and escape

People need to know there is a fire so that they can escape. Options for detection include:
* Smoke,
* Flame (UV)
* Heat
* Manual (e.g. break glass).

Factors that affect ease of escape include:
* Number of fire escapes (ideally always more than two independent safe routes from any location);
* Distance to exit
* Clutter on route
* Fire integrity of escape route - fire doors that close automatically
* Ability to open fire doors - must not be locked, open outwards
* Signage
* Emergency lighting
* (Safe) assembly points
* Knowledge of procedures - staff and visitors
In general, do not use lifts. Need to make provision for disabled people including physical, visual and deaf (cannot hear alarms).

Fire - extinguishing

Fires can be extinguished by eliminating any one side of the fire triangle. This usually involves cooling, creating a barrier between fuel and oxygen, using a chemical that interfere with fire process, or replacing oxygen with another non-flammable gas.
Types of extinguishing device include:
* Water from extinguisher, hose, sprinkler, deluge (cools)
* Foam (cools and seals over fuel) - good for liquids
* Power (chemical interference)
* Carbon dioxide (displaces air/oxygen) - good for electrical fires
* Fire blanket (smothers) - chip pans

Fire - spreading

Fire can spread by:
* Conduction - heat moving through solid material;
* Convection - heat moving through a fluid or gas (i.e. hot air rising)
* Radiation - emission of infra-red energy that can then be absorbed and cause items to get hot

Fire - sources of ignition

Include
* Sparks
* Flame
* Hot surfaces
* Friction
* Electricity (including static)
* Smoking material (e.g. cigarettes)

Fire - fuels

Include
* Solids
* Liquids
* Gas and vapour
* Oxidising agents - react with other substances to create flammable conditions, possibly without oxygen being present

Fire - hazards

Include
* Heat - causing burns
* Smoke and fumes
* Oxygen depletion
* Structural damage to buildings etc.

Fire

For a fire to occur you must have all three sides of the fire triangle present, namely

* Fuel
* Oxygen
* Heat

Eliminating any will prevent a fire or extinguish one that is already going.

Source Health and Safety 2008 - Nebosh General Certificate

Element 6 Electrical Hazards and Control

The section of the NCC1 describes what hazards are posed by the presence of electricity on a construction site, the hazards posed by the use of electricity and associated equipment such as hand tools, extension cables, portable and fixed lighting, temporary supplies from mains or generators.

The use of electrical hand tools is considered a major hazard on construction sites, therefore there are guidelines on the inspection and record keeping for these tools or equipment.

Testing

• Every installation should be tested in accordance with BS 7671: Requirements for Electrical Installation, before use on site, at three-monthly intervals or shorter periods if necessary.
  
• The record of any testing and inspections should be made by a responsible person on the appropriate certificates.
  
• Testing and inspections must include:
  
  • a visual inspection
    
  • the continuity of final circuit conductors
    
  • the continuity of protective conductors
    
  • the earth electrode resistance
    
  • the insulation resistance
    
  • polarity
    
  • the earth fault loop impedance
    
  • the correct operation of residual current devices and fault voltage operated protective devices.
    

Suggested inspection and test frequencies for electrical equipment on construction sites

Equipment/application	Voltage	User check	Formal visual	Combined inspection and check
Battery operated power tools and torches	Less than 25 volt	No	No	No
25V Portable hand lamps	25 volt secondary winding from transformer	No	No	No
50V portable hand lamps	Secondary winding centre tapped to earth (25 volt)	No	No	Yearly
110V portable and hand held tools, extension leads, site lighting, movable wiring systems and switchgear	Secondary winding centre tapped to earth (50 volt)	Weekly	Monthly	Before first use and then 3 monthly
230V portable and hand held tools, extension leads and portable floodlighting	230 volt mains supply through 30mA RCD	Daily/every shift	Weekly	Before first use and then monthly
230V equipment such as lifts, hoists and fixed floodlighting	230 volt supply fuses or MCBs	Weekly	Monthly	Before first use and then 3 monthly
RCDs fixed **		Daily/every shift	Weekly	* Before first use and then 3 monthly
Equipment in site offices	230 volt office equipment	Monthly	6 monthly	Before first use and then yearly
* Note: RCDs need a different range of tests to other portable equipment, and equipment designed to carry out appropriate tests on RCDs need to be used. ** It is recommended that portable RCDs are tested monthly

Key points

• Electricity can be a killer - you cannot see it and may not know that an item of equipment is live – until you touch it.
  
• Buried cables and those inside partition walls or other 'hidden places' are just waiting for the unwary to accidentally damage the cable and cause themselves serious injury or even death.
  
• The electrical distribution systems found on site tend to operate in a harsh environment and must be treated with care and respect.
  
• No-one other than a qualified electrician must alter the site distribution system.
  
• Ideally, apart from mains-powered equipment in site offices, all other equipment such as electrical hand tools will run off a 110 volt supply.
  
• The safest electrically powered tools and equipment are those that run off batteries.
  

Causes of electric shock

• Contact between a live conductor and earth.
  
• Contact between phase and neutral conductors (as the body is likely to have less electrical resistance than any load).
  
• According to the Health and Safety Executive, the majority of electrical accidents happen because people are working on or close to equipment which is either, assumed to be dead but is, in fact, live
  
• known to be live, but workers have not received adequate training, lack adequate equipment or have not taken adequate precautions
  

Legislation covering the use of electricity on construction sites

• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (as amended)
  
• The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007
  
• The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
  
• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (as amended)
  

Working near overhead power lines

The local electricity company must be consulted before any work starts and a safe system of work must be devised and implemented. Other suppliers may also need to be consulted, for example, Local Authorities, National Grid and other electricity companies.

Special attention should be paid to traffic movements and the erection of appropriate warning sign and barrier (goalposts) should be erected, this apply to the use of excavating machinery near overhead power lines.

Construction Site – Hazards and Control Element 2

This element describes the features and items to identify factors which should be considered when carrying out an initial site assessment.
Identification of site appropriate control measures required when setting up sites, also being able to identify the required welfare facilities.
Initial this to look at before
History of the site, area of the site and any restrictions, the topography and the ground conditions, and other activities on site which may not be construction related,
The nature of the surroundings, the access to the site, any roads, footpaths railways, waterways adjacent properties, i.e. residential, industrial or commercial.
When assessing it is important to consider buried services and or overhead power cables.
The initial site assessment should identify the hazards that require control measures, these controls measure, it should have noticed the requirements for fencing and site security, identified the general risks associated with construction sites therefore the placing of mandatory warnings and general information signs,
The site access and egress means of vehicular access and planning takes place with the implementation of a traffic management system, designated areas for the storage, loading and unloading have been identified taking note of any associated risks that might be present when carrying out lifting operations. Other areas which should be planned at this stage are the services required for the site office and welfare facilities. Security arrangements for plant equipment or any chemicals on site, the storage of flammable liquids and method and strategy for dealing with waste either general of special which arise from the construction activities.
The site security measures that are put in place should take in to consideration of not only the site and equipment stored there but should also consider people outside the site and any possible intentional or unintentional access by third parties.
Welfare faculties should be sited in a suitable place and should consist of latrines, rest area , cloakroom and washing facilities, the actual extent of the welfare facilities in particular the washing would depend on the type of activities, if say the site was a general site with only decorating or shop fitting etc then hand washing facilities might be sufficient whist if the area is an excavation site of contaminated land in might be better served by the provision of showering facilities as well as hand washing etc, Adequate first aid provision must be made
Site rules must be written and form part of any site induction training
All these item and more are required to be considered, identified any implemented when assessing, starting or preparing a construction site.