Fires business continuity

Historically, under both federal and state regulations, the demand for gas to heat homes and to meet needs of business and industiy took priority over utility use to generate electricity. These restrictions have been eased by amendments to the Fuel Use Act in 1987, and, as a result, new gas-fired generation units are being constructed. However, coal-fired units continue to provide over 50 percent of the total utility generation of electricity. 

Business continuity procedures, including disaster recovery procedures, should ensure minimal disruption in the case of loss of data or any part of the system. It is necessary to ensure that the integrity of the data is not compromised during the return to normal operation. At the lowest level, this may mean the accidental deletion of a single file, in which case a procedure should be in place for restoring the most recently backed-up copy. At the other extreme, a disaster such as a fire could result in loss of the entire system. For this situation a procedure addressing the following should be in place ... 

National Fire Protection Administration (NFPA). (2004). 1600 Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs. Quincy, MA. 

Procedures and plans supporting business continuity (Disaster Recovery Plans and Contingency Plans) must be specified, tested, and approved before the system is approved for use. Business Continuity Plans will normally be prepared for a business or an operational area rather than for individual computer systems. It is likely that the only way to verify the plan is to walk through a variety of disaster scenarios. Topics for consideration should include catastrophic hardware and software failures, fire/flood/lightning strikes, and security breaches. Alternative means of operation must be available in case of failure if critical data is required at short notice (e.g., in case of drug product recalls). Reference to verification of the Business Continuity Plans is appropriate during OQ/PQ. 

Business Continuity Plans define how significant unplanned disruption to business operations (sometimes referred to as disasters) can be managed to enable the system recovery and business to resume. Disruptions may occur as a result of loss of data or outage of all or part of the computer system s functionality. The range of circumstances causing disruption can range from accidental deletion of a single data file to the loss of an entire data center from, for instance, fire. 

Procedures and plans supporting business continuity must be specified, tested, and approved before the system is approved for use. Topics for consideration should include catastrophic hardware and software failures, fire/flood/lightning strikes, and security breaches. Procedures need to address ... 

Servers should be located in secure locations subject to appropriate environmental controls and protected against risks of flooding, fire, etc. Business Continuity Plans and Disaster Recovery Plans should be in place to manage catastrophic events. Such plans should be periodically tested. 

Each adverse effect, e.g. fire in suppliers facilities or the bankruptcy of the main business partner, causes certain consequences and problems for other links in the supply chain. The effect of the consequences of risk along the supply chain is defined as disruption. Such a turn of events is commonly compared to the domino effect. One event triggers another, and the consequence of one event becomes the cause of another. Disruptions in supply chains are "unplanned events that may occur in the supply chain which might affect the normal or expected flow of materials and components" (Svensson 2000, pp. 731-749). An adverse effect that leads to a long gap in the flow of processes in the supply chain is a critical disruption of the supply chain. According to the concept of business continuity management a crisis is described as "any unplanned event that can cause deaths or significant injuries to empioyees, customers or the public or that can shut down your... 

Effective compartmentation limits the extent of damage caused by the heat and smoke from a fire, which, in turn, will have direct and significant implications for the business continuity and resilience of occupants of the building. 

P2 Automatic Early warning in areas in which the risk to property or business continuity from fire is high In defined parts of the building... 

The time to plan for business continuity is prior to the fire. Electronic systems should be backed up and sen-sitive/important documents should be kept in fire proof storage. 

NFPA 1600 can be purchased from the National Fire Protection Association at www.nfpa.org. Also, an on-site seminar on disaster/emergency management and business continuity can be taught at your location. Call (877) 336-3280 or email onsitesemi-nars nfpa.org. 

Fire, explosions and environmental pollution are the most serious "unpredictable" life affecting and business losses having an impact on the hydrocarbon industries today. These issues have essentially existed since the inception of industrial scale petroleum and chemical operations during the middle of the last century. They continue to occur with ever increasing financial impacts. It almost appears that the management of industry is oblivious, or else must be careless, to the potential perils under their command. Although in some circles most accidents can be thought of as non-preventable, all accidents are in fact preventable. 

Various simple and sophisticated fire and gas detection systems are available to provide early detection and warnings of a hydrocarbon release which supplement process instrumentation and alarms. The overall objective of fire and gas detection systems are to warn of possible impending events that may be threatening to life, property of continued business operations, that are external to the process operation. 

Because of the nature of our business, we continue to have the fires but the cost is generally negligible in comparison to the cost of fire damage when the old systems were in use. Production downtime has been greatly reduced, and the operators working the lines feel much safer. 

Any situation, process, materiaL or condition that, on the basis of applicable data, can cause a fire or explosion or provide a ready fuel supply to augment the spread or intensity of a fire or explosion and that poses a threat to life, property, continued business operation, or the enviromnent. The relative degree of hazard can be evaluated and appropriate safeguards provided. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Charts, 1992-2007, fires and explosions accounted for 3 percent of workplace fatalities in 2007. See also Fire Safety, Workplace. 

After accidents, fire is one of the largest drains on industrial resources. Not only is it a drain but it is also a major cause of companies going out of business. A fire can remove overnight the manufacturing ability of a company and without that ability customers are lost. No customers, no business. So the prevention of fire can play an important role in the continuing viability of an organization. 

The criticality of the equipment to continued business operations. Possible fire and explosion exposures to the facility from adjacent hazards. The effectiveness of fire and explosion protective measures, both active and passive. 

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