Introduction to Fire Safety Management

If a piece of work equipment that is not
intrinsically safe (i.e. spark proof) is installed
within a potentially fl ammable or explosive
atmosphere it could cause a fi re or explosion.
Employers must ensure that work equipment conforms
to current EU standards and requirements. Most new
work equipment particularly any machinery must display
the European CE mark. The CE mark is merely a claim
by the manufacturer that the equipment meets all relevant
standards and is safe.
In addition to researching and controlling the
hazards associated with work equipment the manufacturers
are also obliged to keep a technical fi le relating to
the fi ndings and outcome of their research and issue a
‘Declaration of Conformity’, which simply states that the
equipment complies with the relevant functional health
and safety requirements within the EU.
Inspection and maintenance
All work equipment must also be adequately and suitably
maintained in an effi cient state to prevent breakdown
and/or risks of fi re, health or safety. A programme
of planned preventive maintenance (PPM) must be
implemented to ensure that work equipment is kept in
effi cient working order and in good repair and the fi re
risks are reduced to a reasonable level. The frequency of
maintenance should be determined by:
➤ The frequency of usage
➤ The environment in which the equipment is used
In relation to fi re safety it is particularly
important to ensure that moving parts of
machinery are subject to planned preventive
maintenance to prevent the equipment
being a source of ignition.
If a rotating or moving part is not suitably
lubricated in line the manufacturers’ guidance
the machine may be liable to dry out
(running dry) causing excessive friction. This,
in turn, creates a source of heat.
This source of heat, if added to the potential
for it to come into contact with contaminated
lubricant, can increase the potential
for a fi re, as was the case at Kings Cross
Underground station where a serious fi re
started in the escalator.
Organising for safety
➤ The variety of operations the equipment is used for
➤ The criticality of failure.
If a logbook is provided with the equipment, it should
be kept up to date and available. Where a logbook is
not provided with the equipment, the employer does
not need to provide one although they should develop
a system for recording maintenance work that has been
carried out.
Where work equipment involves a specifi c risk (e.g.
risk of fi re) the employer should restrict the use and
maintenance of the equipment to those given the task
to use it. An example of which would be an electrician
using electrical testing equipment.
In all cases the inspection and testing must be
carried out by suitably qualifi ed and competent staff. It
is therefore important that prior to providing any piece
of work equipment an employer or responsible person
must consider, plan and take account of the detailed
arrangements for the safety inspection and planned
preventive maintenance of any such equipment.
Information, instruction and training
In order to reduce the risks associated with work equipment,
all persons, including operatives, supervisors,
service engineers and cleaners, must be provided with
adequate information and instruction covering the safe
use of the work equipment.
The exact level and nature of the information,
instruction and training provided by an employer will
obviously be dependent upon the complexity of the
equipment and the magnitude of the associated risks.
There are various ways in which the training can be
delivered, for example:
➤ From the manufacturer/supplier – suppliers or manufacturers
of work equipment should in all cases provide
some basic safety information as required by
section 6 of HSWA. In addition they may also provide
specialist training either on or off site for more complex
equipment or tasks, e.g. the servicing of pressure
vessels
➤ From the user – it is sometimes the case that larger
companies will have a training department that will
ensure that professional and competent trainers
provide initial and routine information, instruction
and training to all those who use work equipment
➤ On the job – often training relating to equipment will
be given on the shop fl oor as part of the supervisory
process. This may take the form of a competent
operative talking through the job and directly supervising
the actions of those receiving the instruction
and training.
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