Industrial Safety and Health for Goods and Materials Services - Chapter 14 doc

List of all major fire hazards, proper handling and storage procedu res for hazardo us materials, potent ial igni tion source s and their contr ol, and type of fire p rotection equipm ent

14 Fire Hazards Guidelines

14.1 FIRE HAZARDS

Workplace fires and explosions kill 200 and injure more than 5000 workers every year In 1995, more than 75,000 workplace fires cost businesses more than $2.3 billion Fires wreak havoc among workers and their families and destroy thousands

of businesses each year, putting people out of work and severely impacting their livelihoods The human andfinancial toll underscores the gravity of workplace fires

14.2 CAUSES OF FIRES

The most common causes of workplacefires are as follows:

. Electrical causes—lax maintenance in wiring, motors, switches, lamps, and heating elements

. Smoking—near flammable liquids, stored combustibles, etc

. Cutting and welding—highly dangerous in areas where sparks can ignite combustibles

. Hot surfaces—exposure of combustibles to furnaces, hot ducts or flues, electric lamps or heating elements, and hot metal

. Overheated materials—abnormal process temperatures, materials in dryers, overheating offlammable liquids

. Openflames—gasoline or other torches, gas or oil burners

Cluttered work areas increase the potential forfires

. Friction — hot beari ngs, misaligned or broken machi ne parts, chokin g or jammi ng mat erials, poor adjus tment of movi ng parts

. Unknown substances — unexpect ed material s

. Spontan eous heating — deposi ts in ducts and flues, low-grad e storage , scrap waste, oily waste, and rubbi sh

. Combus tion sparks — burni ng rubbish, foundr y cupola s, furnaces, and fi re-boxes

. Miscell aneous — including incend iary cases, fires spread ing from adjoi ning buildings , molten metal or glass , stat ic elect ricity near flamm able liqu ids, chemical action, and lightin g

14.3 OSHA STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS

Occupati onal Safety an d Health Administr ation (OSHA) stand ards require employers

to provide proper exit s, fire fighti ng equipm ent, and empl oyee trai ning to prevent fire deaths and inju ries in the workplace Eac h wor kplace building must have at least two exit s far from each other to be used in a fi re emer gency Fire doors must not be blocked or locked to prevent emergency use when employees are in the build ings Delayed openin g of fi re doors is permitted when a n approve d alarm system is inte-grated into the fire d oor design Exit routes from buildings must be clear and free of obstructi ons and proper ly mark ed with signs designati ng exit s from the buil ding Each workplace buil ding must have a full compl ement of the proper type of fire extinguis her for the fi re hazards present, except ing when employers wish to have employees evacuat e instead of fighti ng small fires Em ployees expect ed or anti-cipated to use fire exting uishers must be instruct ed on the hazards of fighti ng fire, how to proper ly operate the fi re extinguis hers available, and what procedu res to follow in alerting other s to the fire emer gency Only approve d fire extinguis hers are permitted to be used in wor kplace s, and they must be k ept in good operating condition Proper maintenan ce and inspe ction of this equipm ent is required of each employer The appli cable OSHA standard on fire prote ction is 29 CFR 1910.157

Figure 14.1 show s a well maintained fire exting uisher

Where the empl oyer wishes to evacuat e employees instea d of having them figh t small fires there must be written emer gency plans and employee trai ning for proper evacuat ion Emergen cy action plans are requi red to describe the route s to use and procedu res to be foll owed b y employees Also procedu res for account ing for all evacuat ed employees must be part of the p lan The written plan must be avail able for employee revie w Where needed, speci al procedu res for helpi ng physi cally imp aired employees must b e addressed in the plan; also, the plan must includ e procedu res for those employees who must rema in behind tem porarily to shut down crit ical plant equipment before they evacuat e

The prefer red means of alerting empl oyees to a fi re emer gency must be part of the plan and an employee alarm system must be avail able throughout the workplace complex and must be used for emergency alerting for eva cuation The alarm system may be voice communication or sound signals such as bells, whistles, or horns Employees must know the evacuation signal Fire alarm boxes should be readily accessible as show n in Figure 14 2

Employees must be trained to face emergency situations Employers must review the plan with newly assigned employees so that they know correct actions in an emergency and with all employees when the plan is changed

FIGURE 14.1 Adequatefire extinguisher

FIGURE 14.2 Example offire alarm box

Emplo yers n eed to imp lement a writt en fire prevention plan (FPP ) to compl ement the fire evacua tion plan to minim ize the freque ncy of evacuation Stopping unwanted fires from occurring is the most ef ficient way to handle them The writt en plan shall be available for empl oyee review Housekeepi ng procedu res for stor age and cleanup of flammable materials and flamm able was te must be incl uded in the plan Recycli ng of flammable was te such as paper is en courage d; howe ver, handli ng and packagi ng procedures must be included in the plan Procedures for controlling workplace ignition sources such as smoking, welding, and burning must be addressed in the plan Heat-producing equipment such as burners, heat exchangers, boilers, ovens, stoves, fryers, etc., must be properly maintained and kept clean of accumulations of flammable residues; flammables are not to be stored close to these pieces of equipment All employees are to be apprised of the potential fire hazards of their job and the procedures called for in the employer’s fire prevention plan The plan shall be reviewed with all new employees when they begin thei r job and wi th all empl oyees when the plan is changed The minim um provi sions that make up an FPP are as follow s:

. List of all major fire hazards, proper handling and storage procedu res for hazardo us materials, potent ial igni tion source s and their contr ol, and type of fire p rotection equipm ent necess ary to contr ol each maj or hazard

. Procedur es to control accum ulation of flamm able and combu stible materials

. Procedur e for regular maintenan ce of safeguards installe d on heat- producing

equipment to prevent the accide ntal ignitio n of combu stible mat erials

. Name or job tit le of employees respon sibl e for maintai ning equipment or

control source s of ignitio n or fires

. Name or job title of employees respon sible for the control of fuel source

hazards

Any employee assi gned to a job must be infor med of the fire hazards to which they could be exposed The employee must have received an explan ation of fire prevention plan and how it was designed to protect them

14.4 AVOIDING FIRES

General safet y precaut ions for avoidi ng fires cau sed by smok ing are by obeyin g ‘‘ No Smoking ’’ signs By watchin g for danger spots even if no war ning is poste d (e.g., temporary storage area that contains combustibles), do not place lighted cigarettes on wooden tables or workbenches, even if smoking is permitted, and do no put ashes in

a wastebasket or trash can

Flammable and combustible liquids can causefires if they are near open flames and motors that might spark When you transfer them, bond the containers to each other and ground the one being dispensed from, to prevent sparks from static electricity (Figure 14.3) Clean up spills right away, and put oily rags in a tightly covered metal container Change clothes immediately if you get oil or solvents on them Watch out for empty containers that heldflammable or combustible liquids; vapors might still

be present Store these liquids in approved containers in well-ventilated areas away

from heat and sparks Be sure all containers forflammable and combustible liquids are clearly and correctly labeled

Electricity can causefires if frayed insulation and damaged plugs on power cords

or extension cords are notfixed or discarded Also, electrical conductors should not

be damp or wet and there should be no oil and grease on any wires

A cord that is warm to the touch when current is passing through should warn you of a possible overload or hidden damage Do not overload motors; watch for broken or oil-soaked insulation, excessive vibration, or sparks; keep motors lubri-cated to prevent overheating Defective wiring, switches, and batteries on vehicles should be replaced immediately Electric lamps need bulb guards to prevent contact with combustibles and to help protect the bulbs from breakage Do not try to fix electrical equipment yourself if you are not a qualified electrician

Housekeeping is often a factor infires in the workplace Keep your work areas clean Passageways and fire doors should be kept clear and unobstructed Material must not obstruct sprinkler heads or be piled aroundfire extinguisher locations or sprinkler controls Combustible materials should be present in work areas only in quantities required for the job, and should be removed to a designated storage area at the end of each workday

Hot work such as welding and cutting should never be permitted without supervision or a hot work permit Watch out for molten metal; it can ignite combustibles or fall into cracks and start a fire that might not erupt until hours after the work is done Portable cutting and welding equipment is often used where it is unsafe; keep combustibles at safe distance from a hot work area Be sure tanks and other containers that have held flammable or combustible liquids are completely neutralized and purged before you do any hot work on them Have a fire watch (another employee) on hand to put out a fire before it can get out

of control

Hand pump

Transfer hose

Transfer container

Flammable liquids

Fuel drum Ground

FIGURE 14.3 Safe transfer procedures forflammable liquids (Courtesy of the Department

of Energy.)

14.5 FIRE PROTECTION AND PREVENTION

To protect workplace fromfire the following items should be adhered to:

. Access to all availablefirefighting equipment will be maintained at all times

. Firefighting equipment will be inspected periodically and maintained in operating condition Defective or exhausted equipment must be replaced immediately

. Allfirefighting equipment will be conspicuously located at each jobsite

. Fire extinguishers, rated not less than 2A, will be provided for each 3000 sq

ft of the protected work area Travel distance from any point of the protected area to the nearestfire extinguisher must not exceed 100 ft One

55 gal open drum of water, with twofire pails, may be substituted for a fire extinguisher having a 2A rating

. Extinguishers and water drums exposed to freezing conditions must be

protected from freezing

. Do not remove or tamper withfire extinguishers installed on equipment or vehicles, or in other locations, unless authorized to do so or in case offire If you use afire extinguisher, be sure it is recharged or replaced with another fully charged extinguisher Table 14.1 depicts the types of fire and the classes offire extinguishers used to extinguish these fires

To preventfire the following principles should be followed:

. Internal combustion engine powered equipment must be located so that

exhausts are away from combustible materials

. Smoking is prohibited at, or in the vicinity of operations which constitute a

fire hazard Such operations must be conspicuously posted: ‘‘No Smoking

or Open Flame.’’

. Portable battery powered lighting equipment must be approved for the type

of hazardous locations encountered

. Combustible materials must be piled no higher than 20 ft Depending on the

stability of the material being piled, this height may be reduced

TABLE 14.1

Types of Fires and Classes of Extinguishers

Class A (wood, paper, trash) —use water or foam extinguisher

Class B ( flammable liquids, gas, oil, paints, grease)—use foam, CO 2 , or dry chemical extinguisher Class C (electrical) —use CO 2 or dry chemical extinguisher

Class D (combustible metals) —use dry powder extinguisher only

. Keep driveways between and around combustible storage piles at least

15 ft wide and free from accumulation of rubbish, equipment, or other materials

. Portablefire extinguishing equipment, suitable for anticipated fire hazards

on the jobsite, must be provided at convenient, conspicuously accessible locations

. Firefighting equipment must be kept free from obstacles, equipment, mater-ials, and debris that could delay emergency use of such equipment Famil-iarize yourself with the location and use of the project’s firefighting equipment

. Discard and=or store all oily rags, waste, and similar combustible materials

in metal containers on a daily basis

. Storage offlammable substances on equipment or vehicles is prohibited unless such a unit has adequate storage area designed for such use

14.6 FLAMMABLE AND COMBUSTIBLE LIQUIDS

(29 CFR 1910.106)

Flammable liquids are to be kept in covered containers or tanks when not actually in use The quantity offlammable or combustible liquid that may be located outside of

an inside storage room or storage cabinet in any one fire area of a building cannot exceed the following:

. 25 gal of Class IA liquids in containers

. 120 gal of Class IB, IC, II, or III liquids in containers

. 660 gal of Class IB, IC, II, or III liquids in a single portable tank

Flammable and combustible liquids are to be drawn from or transferred into con-tainers within buildings only through a closed piping system, from safety cans, by means of a device drawing through the top, or by gravity through an approved self-closing valve Transfer by means of air pressure is prohibited Not more than

60 gal of Class I or Class II liquids, nor more than 120 gal of Class III liquids may

be stored in a storage cabinet Inside storage rooms for flammable and combust-ible liquids are to be constructed to meet requiredfire-resistive rating or wiring for their uses

Outside storage areas must be grated so as to divert spills away from buildings

or other exposures, or be surrounded with curbs at least 6 in high with appropriate drainage to a safe location for accumulated liquids The areas shall be protected against tampering or trespassing, where necessary, and shall be kept free of weeds, debris, and other combustible material not necessary to the storage

Adequate precautions are to be taken to prevent the ignition of flammable vapors Sources of ignition include, but are not limited to, openflames; lightning; smoking; cutting and welding; hot surfaces; frictional heat; static, electrical, and mechanical sparks; spontaneous ignition, including heat-producing chemical reac-tions; and radiant heat

Class I liquids are not to be dispensed into containers unless the nozzle and container are electrically interconnected All bulk drums offlammable liquids are to

be grounded and bonded to containers during dispensing

Some of the more specific rules for flammable and combustible liquids are as follows:

. Explosive liquids, such as gasoline, shall not be used as cleaning agents.

Use only approved cleaning agents

. Store gasoline and similar combustible liquids in approved and labeled

containers in well-ventilated areas free from heat sources

. Handling of allflammable liquids by hand containers must be in approved type safety containers with spring closing covers and flame arrestors (Figure 14.4)

. Approved wooden or metal storage cabinets must be labeled in conspicuous

lettering:‘‘Flammable—Keep Fire Away.’’

. Never store more than 60 gal of flammable, or 120 gal of combustible liquids in any one approved storage cabinet

. Storage of containers shall not exceed 1100 gal in any one pile or area.

Separate piles or groups of containers by a 5 ft clearance Never place a pile

or group within 20 ft of a building A 12 ft wide access way must be provided within 200 ft of each container pile to permit approach of fire control apparatus

Flame arrestor

Pressure relief valve

Approved safety can

FIGURE 14.4 Example of an approved safety container (Courtesy of the Department of Energy.)

14.7 FLAMMABLE AND COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS

Combus tible scrap, de bris, and waste material s (oil y rags, etc.) stored in covered metal recept acles are to be removed from the wor ksite promptl y Proper storage must

be pract iced to minim ize the risk of fi re including spontaneous combu stion Fire extinguis hers are to be selec ted and provi ded for the types of material s in areas where they are to be u sed ‘‘ No Smoki ng’’ rules shoul d be enforc ed in areas involving storage and use of hazardo us materials

14.8 FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS

Properly designed and i nstalled fi xe d fi re suppression systems enhance fi re safety in the w orkplace Automatic sprinkl er system s t hroughout the workplace are among the m ost r eli abl e fi refi ghting m eans The fi re sprinkler system detects the fi re, sounds

an alarm, and sprays water at the source of the fi re and heat Autom atic fi re suppression systems require proper maintenance to keep them in serviceable

con-di tion W he n it is necessary to take a fi re suppression system out of service while

bu s in e ss c o n ti nu e s , th e e m pl o ye r m us t te m po r a ri ly s u b st itu t e a fi re watch of t rained

em ployees standing by to respond quickly to any fi re em ergency in t he normally

pr otected ar ea The fi re watch m ust interface with the employers’ fi re prevention

pl an and emergency action plan Signs must be posted about areas prot ected by total

fl ooding fi re suppression systems which use agents t hat are a s erious heal th hazard such as carbon dioxide, Halon 1211, etc Such automatic systems must be equi pped with area predischar ge alarm systems to warn employees of the i mpending dis-charge of the system and thereby provide time to evacuate the area Ther e m ust be an

em ergency action plan t o provi de for the safe evacuation of empl oyees from within the protected area Such plans are to be part of the overall evacuation plan for the workplace facility

The local fi re depart ment needs to be well acquainted with your facilities, its location, and speci fic hazards The fire alarm system must be certi fi ed as requi red and tested at least once a year Interior stand pipes must be inspe cted regularly Outsid e private fi re hydrant s must be flushed at least once a year and on a routine preventive maintenan ce schedul e All fire doors and shutters must be in good operat ing cond i-tion and unobstructed and protected against obstruci-tions, including their counter-weights

14.9 FIREFIGHTING

If an employer expects workers to assist infighting fires, then he must have them trained to do so If they are not trained to usefire extinguishing equipment then they should report thefire and sound the alarm followed by evacuation of the premises

14.10 FIRE HAZARD CHECKLIST

To reduce the chances offire, all the checklist questions should have an affirmative answer Figure 14.5 is an examp le of a fire prevention checkl ist

14.11 SUMMARY

Spottingfire hazards in the workplace is the first step in prevention Become familiar with the most common causes offires Inspect on a daily, weekly, monthly basis (Review briefly the employee’s responsibility for fire inspection and prevention.) When afire hazard is spotted, eliminate it immediately if you have the ability and the authority to do so File afire hazard report form or bring it to your supervisor’s attention

If afire has started notify the appropriate personnel (company fire brigade, your supervisor, safety director, etc.) or turn in a general alarm following company policies

If thefire is not out of control, attempt to extinguish it with the appropriate fire extinguishing equipment if you have been trained in the use offire extinguisher If thefire is out of control or is not in your area, follow evacuation procedures

Fire checklist Yes & No & Are fire extinguisherslocations unobstructed?

Yes & No & Are operating instructions on the front of each extinguisher?

Yes & No & Is fire extinguisher locations visibly identified?

Yes & No & Are there fire extinguisher types sufficient to respond to the local area hazards? Yes & No & Do the fire extinguishersmeet the hydrostatic test requirements (every12 years)? Yes & No & Are monthly fire extinguisher checks being conducted?

Yes & No & Are fire hose cabinets accessible and unobstructed?

Yes & No & Are fire hose cabinets in good physical condition?

Yes & No & Is flammable liquid stored in approved cabinet?

Yes & No & Are flammable liquid storage cabinets used for only flammable liquids?

Yes & No & Is the volume of flammable liquids stored in cabinets less than the limits stated on

the cabinet door?

Yes & No & Are the flammable liquid storage cabinet vent bungs in place and cabinet doors

kept closed?

Yes & No & Are the flammable liquids storage cabinets structurally undamaged?

Yes & No & Are caution labels affixed to flammable liquids cabinets, such as

‘‘KEEPFIRE AWAY’’?

Yes & No & Are electrical panels free and clear for access with a minimum of 3 ft open space

in front of the cabinet?

Yes & No & Are electrical disconnects labeled with a description of the equipment

they control?

Yes & No & Is the area free of visible exposed wiring?

Yes & No & Are equipment power cords in good condition?

Yes & No & Hasyourarea refrained from using extension cords aslong-term power sources? Yes & No & Are all employees wearing ANSI approved safety glasses with side shields? Yes & No & Are work areas kept clean and orderly?

Yes & No & Are passageways clearly marked and exit routesvisible?

Yes & No & Are exits marked with signs and illuminated?

Yes & No & Are exits easily accessible and unobstructed?

Yes & No & Do self-closing doors operate properly?

Yes & No & Are all work areas properly lighted?

FIGURE 14.5 Fire prevention checklist