Fire hazards and damage

Where overfilling or leakage from the tank would contribute to a fire hazard, cause damage to property or contaminate drains or sewers, a bund wall should be constructed around the tank. This should be of brick or concrete with an oil-tight lining, and sealed to the concrete base under the tank supports. The capacity of the bunded area should be at least 10 per cent greater than that of the storage tanks contained within it. 

It is not true that in a fire, vinyl is unusually hazardous and damaging. The real hazards in a fire are carbon monoxide and heat these are especially a problem with other materials that readily burn. Because vinyl products contain chlorine, they are inherently flame-retardant and resist ignition. When it does burn, however, vinyl produces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen chloride. Of these, the most hazardous is carbon monoxide, Hydrogen chloride is an irritant gas that can be lethal at extremely high levels, However, research indicates that those levels are never reached or even approached in real fires. 

Illb Direct or specular reflection viewing of beam can cause damage power 5-500 mW high-powered lasers are a fire hazard and can cause skin burns... 

Metal deck assembhes are tested by UL for under-deck fire hazard by usiag their steiaer tunnel (ASTM E84). The assembly, exposed to an under-deck gas flame, must not allow rapid propagation of the fire down the length of the tuimel. FM uses a calorimeter fire-test chamber to evaluate the hazard of an under-deck fire. The deck is exposed to a gas flame and the rate of heat release is measured and correlated to the rate of flame propagation. A different FM test assesses the damage to roof iasulations exposed to radiant heat. 

Chlororocarbon (CFG) refrigerants are inherently safer with respect to fire, explosion, and acute toxic hazards when compared to alternative refrigerants such as ammonia, propane, and sulfur dioxide. However, they are believed to cause long term environmental damage because of stratospheric ozone depletion. 

In many cases, it is not readily apparent how the potential impacts from different hazards can be translated into some common scale or measure. For example, how do you compare long term environmental damage and health risks from use of CFG refrigerants to the immediate risk of fatality from the fire, explosion, and toxicity hazards associated with many alternative refrigerants This question does not have a right answer. It is not really a scientific question, but instead it is a question of values. Individuals, companies, and society must determine how to value different kinds of risks relative to each other, and base decisions on this evaluation. 

An accident occurred in a fuel-blending facility that provided a way to reuse flammable and hazardous wastes. One worker was killed and two others were injured. The explosion and resulting fire caused extensive damage to the facility. 

Dows Fire b- Explosion Index Hazard Classification Guide, 7th ed. (AIChE, New York, 1994), which gives an empirical radius of exposure and damage factor based on the quantity and characteristics of the material being stored and handled... 

Damaging fires are uncontrolled chemical reactions, so fire hazards involving ordinary flammable and combustible materials could be included in the above definition of chemical reactivity hazards. However, this publication seeks to supplement basic fire prevention and protection measures by addressing how to successfully manage other chemical reactivity hazards in the work environment. Consequently, the use of the term "chemical reactivity hazards" in this publication will not include explosion, fire and dust explosibility hazards involving the burning of flammable and combustible materials in air. Storage and use of commercial explosives is also outside the scope of this publication. 

Point Fire Detection—based on good judgment and past practices to predict where fire hazards are likely to occur and cause unacceptable damage. 

Where the need for fire detection is identified, the required performance of the fire detection system is already specified as part of the grading process. Fixed fire detection is typically installed to protect equipment that is high value, long lead time, or likely to be significant fire escalation hazards. The performance specification defines fire size and response time thresholds for alarm and action(s). Fire hazards are defined by radiant heat output (RHO). RHO gives a reasonable indication of the potential damage and the probability that the fire will escalate or cause loss. The RHO should not be used to determine fire thermal loading onto equipment and structures. Table 8-3 compares RHO and flame area for some typical hydrocarbon fires. 

Bryan, J.L. 1986. Defining Damageability - The Examination, Review, and Analysis of the Variables and Limits of Damageability for Buildings, Contents, and Personnel from Exposure in Eire Incidents. Symposium on Quantitative Fire Hazards Analysis. Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Boston, MA. 

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