Fire risk assessment process

The fire risk assessment process begins by collecting basic information about the design. For new projects there may be limited information available however a list of hazards can be developed, the potential fire impact can be assessed, and preliminary risk can be calculated. The level of detail of the fire risk assessment is only as good as the level of detail of the design information. The information needed to perform a fire risk assessment could include ... 

It is therefore essential when considering the fire risk assessment process to include not only the task-based or operations-based risks, which may cause a fire, but also the building risks that may prevent persons responding and being able to escape to a place of safety in the event of a fire. The principle of this chapter is to draw together all of the elements previously discussed within the preceding chapters to enable those completing a fire risk assessment to ensure that it is both suitable and sufficient. 

The fire risk assessor, or fire risk assessment team, will benefit from having a range of documentation readily available prior to, during and following the practical risk assessment process (visual observation, verbal information gathering, etc.). The range of documentation that may provide key information for the fire risk assessment process is likely to include ... 

Figure 5-1 shows how the FHA is integrated into an overall risk assessment. A process hazard analysis is required to identify likely fire scenarios that are carried forward to the FHA. An FHA provides the tools to characterize the hazards and evaluate consequences. The results are incorporated into an overall risk assessment. See Chapter 6 for more information on fire risk assessment. 

The approach used in an FHA is to assume ignition of releases. In reality, not all releases result in afire. The likelihood of ignition can be addressed in the quantitative risk assessment process. However, in an FHA it is important to identify if ignition sources are present for the fire scenarios to occur. In some instances, fire scenarios can be eliminated from analysis because of the lack of a credible ignition source. 

A fire risk assessment should begin early in the design process. 

The methodology outlined in this chapter follows that in Cuidelines for Chemical Process Quantitative Risk Analysis (CCPS, 2000). NFPA 550 Cu/de to the Fire Safety Concept Tree provides another example of fire risk assessment. There are three keys to a successful fire risk assessment ... 

SINTEE. 1997. Flandbook for Fire Calculations and Fire Risk Assessment in the Process Industry. 3rd Edition. SINTEF - NBE. Scandpower AS, Norway. 

The risk assessment process applies to all aspects of operational risk management—occupational safety, occupational health, environmental matters, product safety, all aspects of transportation safety, safety of the public, health physics, system safety, fire protection engineering, property damage and business interruption avoidance, and the like. 

The process of carrying out a fire risk assessment is similar to that of a general risk assessment except that the identification of hazards is restricted to fire matters. It is the findings of a fire risk assessment that will determine the type and number of fire extinguishers to be provided. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the findings of a fire risk assessment must be recorded. The fire risk assessment should cover a defined area of the workplace. In small premises the defined area could be the whole premises whereas for larger places of work the premises should be divided into discrete sub-areas and each made the subject of a separate fire risk assessment. 

A fire risk assessment involves a number of discrete stages that are listed below and commence with the identification of fire hazards. Typical fire hazards can include the flammable nature of the material being processed, the condition of the machinery, the state of housekeeping, the presence of rubbish, oil leaks, temporary or faulty wiring, evidence of... 

A fire risk assessment should therefore consider each of these areas as part of the primary hazard category in the risk assessment process. 

Many of the physicai and potentiaiiy psychoiogicai heaith risks can aiso be iinked to a fire scenario and thus must be taken into account during the risk assessment process. 

Training - as with all safety training it is important to record the fact that a certain degree of competence has been achieved through the process. Once again the specific content of the training will be informed by the contents of the fire risk assessment for the workpiace. However, as a minimum, fire warden/marshai training should include such topics as ... 

Definitions relating to fire risk assessment >- The process of fire risk assessment > Risk assessment recording and reviewing procedures... 

The above iist identifies risks that may aiso need to be taken into account during the risk assessment process. The heaith risks, as previousiy mentioned (Chapter 5), aiso inciude the short- and iong-term effects of coming into contact with chemicais and bioiogicai agents and must aiso inciude the potentiai for harm from psychoiog-icai effects such as occupationai stress, post-traumatic or criticai incident stress disorders for those invoived in a fire situation. 

During the physical inspection process of the fire risk assessment it was noted that a cable on a vacuum cleaner within an unlocked cupboard had an unauthorised electrical joint on its cable. 

During the practical risk assessment process it was noted that a number of service risers were insecure. That the doors to the risers were defective and were not fitted with intumescent strips and that the risers themselves were likely to act as a chimney due to the lack of fire compartmentation between each of the building s floors. 

DAL is determined by Quantitative Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) as a rational and rigorous method for the risk estimation. The FRA uses a systematic analysis to quantify risks, which are expressed as a combination of frequency and consequences, and to provide input to a decisionmaking process. Consequently, it has made great... 

The Chemical Process Industry (CPI) uses various quantitative and qualitative techniques to assess the reliability and risk of process equipment, process systems, and chemical manufacturing operations. These techniques identify the interactions of equipment, systems, and persons that have potentially undesirable consequences. In the case of reliability analyses, the undesirable consequences (e.g., plant shutdown, excessive downtime, or production of off-specification product) are those incidents which reduce system profitability through loss of production and increased maintenance costs. In the case of risk analyses, the primary concerns are human injuries, environmental impacts, and system damage caused by occurrence of fires, explosions, toxic material releases, and related hazards. Quantification of risk in terms of the severity of the consequences and the likelihood of occurrence provides the manager of the system with an important decisionmaking tool. By using the results of a quantitative risk analysis, we are better able to answer such questions as, Which of several candidate systems poses the least risk Are risk reduction modifications necessary and What modifications would be most effective in reducing risk ... 

The first step in a process plant building risk assessment is to identify specific accident scenarios that endanger building occupants. As discussed in Chapter 2 and illustrated in Table 2.1, accident scenarios are sequences of events that lead to an outcome of concern. The specific outcomes of concern are those involving explosions or fires that could impact buildings in process plants. 

Pula, R., Khan, F., Veitch, B., and Amyotte, P., 2005. Revised fire consequence models for offshore quantitative risk assessment. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 18, 443-454. 

Understanding fire hazards is essential to risk reduction and fire protection decision-making. A fire hazard analysis (FHA) is a tool used to understand fire hazards. The process of quantifying the fire hazard is typically motivated by the need to determine the overall hazard of a process or facility or to have a decision-making tool for fire protection systems (Chapter 6). An FHA is an important element of a risk assessment and can also be used as a stand-alone hazard evaluation tool. 

Barry, T.F. 1995. An Introduction to Quantitative Risk Assessment in Chemical Process Industries. Tbe SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering. 3rd Edition. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. 

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