Escape routes, protection

Designation of restricted areas, e.g. containing flammable materials, eye protection zones, hearing protection zones, radiological hazards, microbiological hazards Ensuring freedom from obstruction of roads, stairs, gangways, escape routes Control of vehicles... 

Are sufficient general exit and escape routes available for employees Is there an alternate means of escape from the roof Is protection provided to individuals along tlie line of the escape routes ... 

Smoke detectors are employed where the type of fire anticipated and equipment protection needs a faster response time than heat detectors. A smoke detector will detect the generation of the invisible and visible products of combustion before temperature changes are sufficient to activate heat detectors. The ability of a smoke detector to sense a fire is dependent on the rise, spread, rate-of-bum, coagulation and air movement of the smoke itself. Where the safety of personnel is a concern, it is crucial to detect a fire incident at its early stages because of the toxic gases, lack of oxygen that may develop, and obscuration of escape routes. Smoke detection systems should be considered when these factors are present. 

Hold a briefing for entry personnel and support crew. Ensure that all staff on scene understand emergency signals, preplanned escape routes, locations of Hot/Warm/ Cold zones, operational hazards at this site, the evacuation system, the buddy system, the need for appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) the potential need to decontaminate rescuers and their equipment, and contaminated persons location of rehabilitation area, possible air space closure over incident site, etc. 

Figure 6.188 Escape route lighting system. An electroluminescence or, as an option, an LED lighting strip in an i-circuit is fed via a power supply in encapsulation -m- and increased safety - e Type of protection/certificates ...

The fire protection system consists not only of a deluge system activated by the ultraviolet sensors, but also of fusible link type fire systems. The deluge system has a trip mechanism from mercury checks activated by heat-activated-devices, a manual release on the deluge valve, a pneumatic remote trip station, and an electrical push button along with the electrical trip mechanism from the U/V detectors. The remote trip stations are located by escape routes so it is possible for the operator to trip the systems as he exits the building without exposing himself to further danger. 

Evidence points towards the oligomeric state of a-synuclein as the toxic conformation causing neuronal death. It has been suggested that fibril formation is merely an escape route or protection mechanism in the brain to prevent further neuronal damage. 

For line supervisors and employees covering cleaning and preparation, escape routes, training, monitoring, personal protective equipment, communication devices, emergency planning. 

Once the HazMat team has identified the chemical agent, you should don the appropriate PPE (see Chapter 1). If you are using Level C attire, you must also use a full-face shield or hood to protect you from liquid splashes. Keeping the number of responders to a minimum, enter the scene from upwind, uphill, and upstream. Continually scan the area for hazards while on scene (see above). Have a planned escape route. 

Since the cell room is a likely source of chlorine release, it should be located with due regard to prevailing winds and ground-level wind patterns. The building and the cell lines both must have efficient escape routes and easy access to a safe haven where personnel are protected from emissions. 

The two key features in planning a means of escape are, firstly, the travel distance which is the distance a person must travel from any point within a floor area to the nearest exit to a protected stairway, escape route or to a place of safety. In general 18 m is considered to be the maximum travel distance if there is only one exit and 45 m if there is more than one. Secondly, except in special circumstances, at least two escape routes in substantially opposite directions should be provided for every storey or level of a building. The width of the exit and the escape route is governed by the number of people who may be present on the storey or level but the minimum permitted width is 826 mm. Where a corridor forms part of the travel distance it should be enclosed to restrict the spread of smoke. If the corridor is a dead end then it must have at least half-hour fire resistance walls and ceilings so that people can safely pass by a room if it is on fire. If the corridor connects alternative exits it should be fitted with smoke stop doors mid-way between the exits. 

Escape routes from work areas must be constructed to provide protection from the fire - both smoke and flames - and arranged so tiiat smoke seepage is kept to a minimum. All doors on escape routes should open in the direction of travel and be self-closing. They should be provided with a... 

Have signs been installed indicating fire escape routes and the positions of fire protection equipment ... 

Neither passive nor active fire protection measures can be installed and then forgotten they require regular inspection and maintenance. Service contracts should be established with accredited contractors for installed equipment but the fire safety manager should also ensure that regular inspections are made of escape routes, fire doors and housekeeping standards and that suitable records of such inspections are kept. 

Another exampie of passive fire protection is the design of escape routes, which shouid not incorporate combustibie waii, ceiiing or floor iinings. Fire dampers shouid be instaiied in ducts where they pass through compartment walls, and holes in such walls around cables and other services should be fire stopped. 

The elements of structure should continue to function in a fire. They should continue to support and maintain the fire protection to floors, escape routes and access routes, until all occupants have escaped, or have been rescued. In order to achieve this load bearing elements of structure are required to have a demonstrable standard of fire resistance. 

In addition to the fire resistance of the door and its assembly, it is also vital, in order to protect escape routes and prevent smoke damage to the building, that the door limits the spread of smoke. This is achieved by ensuring that the door effectively self-closes and is fitted with two types of seal an intumescent strip that expands when it becomes hot and forms a fire resisting seal around the door and a cold smoke seal which is normally in the form of bushes or a felt material, which prevents the movement of cold smoke. 

Access to storey exits >- Separation of circulation routes from stairways >- Storey/floors divided into different uses >- Storey divided into different occupancies >- The height of escape routes >- Separation of high risk areas >- Protection of dead-ends >- The subdivision of long corridors. 

As in the case of escape routes generally a protected stainway needs to be free of potential sources of fire. Therefore, facilities that may be incorporated in a protected stainway are limited to toilets or washrooms, so long as the room is not used as a cloakroom. 

Any wall. Including a door or a window in the wall, within 3 m of the escape route has at least 30 minutes fire resistance for integrity from the inside - and there is no unprotected area below a height of 1.1 m measured from the level of the escape route Any roof hatch or roof light forming part of the roof within 3 m of the escape route has at least 30 minutes fire resistance for integrity from the underside The route is adequately defined and guarded by walls and/or protective barriers The route across the roof leads to a storey exit or an external escape route. 

Refuges - a protected stainway is an internai stairway intended for use as an escape route (it may aiso be in everyday use). The protection takes the form of an enoiosure of fire resistant waiiing and doors. 

Should be provided at each point where an escape route leads into a protected stain/vay, or an external stain/vay... 

Essential structural features such as the layout of the workplace, escape routes structure and self-closing fire doors provided to protect the means of escape Means for fighting fire (details of the number, type and location of the fire fighting equipment)... 

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