Every year construction sites and buildings undergoing refurbishment work catch fire, which results in workers being injured, destroyed properties, and unexpected costs that some businesses might never recover from. This is why it is important that protective fire measures are put in place to protect a construction site. Implement the right
A new, revolutionary fire extinguisher – MultiBlaze – has been launched by Meritas. The lightweight extinguisher deals with all types of fires, removing all risk, doubt and confusion and making firefighting a lot safer and easier. Moreover, it allows you to spray an escape path for yourself, while the cooling
Every year construction sites and buildings undergoing refurbishment work catch fire, which results in workers being injured, destroyed properties, and unexpected costs that some businesses might never recover from. This is why it is important that protective fire measures are put in place to protect a construction site. Implement the right products A crucial step to prevent a fire from spreading is implementing the correct safety products, with fire extinguishers being one of the most life-saving products that one can have on site. Fire extinguishers should be located at identified fire points around the site and should be appropriate to the nature of the potential fire: Wood, paper and cloth – water extinguisher Flammable liquids – dry powder or foam extinguisher Electrical – carbon dioxide (C02) extinguisher Consider how to detect fires Although a standalone alarm unit may be sufficient for a smaller site, as a construction site grows, there is a higher risk of a fire breaking out. By installing fire detection and wireless alarm systems, one can ensure workers are alerted in the event of such an incident. Carry out thorough staff training It is so important to ensure staff are confident when using any type of fire safety equipment – they need to know what risks to be aware of and what actions to take in the event of a fire. All new employees should also receive fire safety training. Review and update your risk assessment According to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO), a ‘responsible person’ must carry out, and keep up to date, a risk assessment and implement appropriate measures to minimise the risk to life and property from fire. The HSE recommends following these five steps when carrying out the risk assessment: Identify hazards: consider how a fire could start and what could burn Identify those at risk: employees, contractors, visitors and anyone who is vulnerable Evaluation and action: consider the hazards and people identified in 1 and 2 and act to remove and reduce risk to protect people and premises Record, plan and train: keep a record of the risks and action taken. Make a clear plan for fire safety and ensure that people understand what they need to do in the event of such an incident Review: your assessment regularly and check it takes account of any changes on site.
A new, revolutionary fire extinguisher – MultiBlaze – has been launched by Meritas. The lightweight extinguisher deals with all types of fires, removing all risk, doubt and confusion and making firefighting a lot safer and easier. Moreover, it allows you to spray an escape path for yourself, while the cooling liquid will not reignite as conventional powder extinguishers frequently do. The MultiBlaze range of extinguishers comes with a trigger like a gun, instead of the traditional squeezable lever used on all standard fire extinguishers. Traditional extinguishers require you to use both hands to hold and simultaneously direct the extinguishing agent at the source of the fire, the MultiBlaze range of extinguishers have been designed so that they can be used with only one hand. In addition, the MultiBlaze extinguisher, unlike a traditional one, is Multi-directional at 360 degrees; therefore it can be held sideways or even upside down to enable fires in awkward areas to be put out easily. Another advantage is that no propellant or aerosol is used to expel the bio-degradable agent. After it has been used, the sprayed surfaces can be washed down with clean water, while the empty bottles can be easily disposed of in the household waste. Businesses and individuals reduce the cost of training, transport, storage and disposal as there is no danger of explosion or corrosion, as the canisters only operate between -20 degrees to 70 degrees Celsius. The MultiBlaze extinguisher works on multiple materials – paper, wood, textiles, cooking fats and oils, petrol, diesel and even electrical fires. They can cope with electrical fires from a minimum distance of 1 m in addition to dealing with other types of fire.
