Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Causes and prevention of fi re
Table 8.2 Summary the HSE’s guidance on the type and frequency of inspections and tests for portable electrical appliances
in offi ces and hotels, etc.
Equipment/environment User checks Formal visual inspection Combined inspection and testing
Battery operated (less than 20 volts) No No No
Extra low voltage (less than 50 volts
AC): e.g. telephone equipment, low
voltage desk lights No No No
Information technology: e.g. desktop No Yes, 2–4 years No if double insulated – otherwise
computers, VDU screens up to 5 years
Photocopiers, fax machines: NOT No Yes, 2–4 years No if double insulated – otherwise
handheld. Rarely moved up to 5 years
Double insulated equipment: NOT No Yes, 2–4 years No
handheld. Moved occasionally,
e.g. fans, table lamps, slide projectors
Double insulated equipment: handheld, Yes Yes, 6 months–1 year No
e.g. some fl oor cleaners
Earthed equipment (Class 1): Yes Yes, 6 months–1 year Yes, 1–2 years
e.g. electric kettles, some fl oor cleaners
Cables (leads) and plugs connected to Yes Yes, 6 months–4 years Yes, 1–5 years depending on the
the above. depending on the type of type of equipment it is connected to
Extension leads (mains voltage) equipment it is connected to
Figure 8.14 Gas cooking installation showing fi xed fi re
fi ghting equipment
electrical cookers and cooking equipment. In addition
to the management systems detailed above establishing
a planned preventive maintenance scheme (PPM)
should take into account heat controlling devices such
as thermocouples as it is unlikely that the portable appliance
testing will entirely eliminate the risks from such
equipment.
Any gas cooking equipment and installation should
be installed by a member of the Council of Registered
Gas Installers (CORGI). Gas installations to appliances
should be by fi xed piping and/or protected/armoured
fl exible tubing. In the case of temporary cooking supplies
and installations (e.g. in construction operations) LPG
gas cylinders must be located outside buildings and
protected from unauthorised interference.
Ideally as technology advances gas systems
and appliances should ‘fail to safe in the event of an
emergency, i.e. fi re’. It is likely that gas supplies to
appliances and installations will therefore be linked to
alarm/detection systems that will automatically isolate
the gas supplies upon actuation. It is worthy of note
that gas supplies should not be able to be re-energised
after an emergency in such a way that gas supplies are
allowed to ‘free fl ow’ with the presence of an ignition
source to control the gas release.
With latter day installations such as in hotels and
restaurants with large kitchens, an additional safety
measure can also be introduced such as the provision
of fi xed fi re fi ghting installations. These will be covered
in more detail in later chapters.
As in the case of electrical testing, any systems
should be subject to regular inspection and maintenance
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