FLPFI SAFETY DOCUMENT PROVIDES GOOD PRACTICE GUIDANCE TO PROTECT BUSINESSES FROM FIRE’S COSTLY EFFECT
26th October 2021
The nine-point bulletin, available for free download via the FLPFI website, features a range of expert fire protection guidance. Issues covered include the cost of achieving fire safety, maintenance best practice in relation to fire protection systems, and an overview of fire protection requirements in India’s oil and gas industry. The briefing document also highlights the consequences of poor Inspection Testing and Maintenance (ITM) maintenance in the form of a case study relating to a blaze at an electrical equipment manufacturing plant.
The FLPFI said: “Proper operation of fire protection (FP) systems is critical to ensuring the effectiveness of the fire risk management system installed within busy workspaces such as warehouses and storage facilities. Fire should not be left to chance. Businesses can pay a hefty price due to building damage caused by fire, both in terms of repairs and interruption to operations. This really drives home the need for an efficient inspection, testing and maintenance programme.”
Among the litany of fire protection and best practice advice is a section dedicated to legal ITM codes and standards. With this in mind, the briefing document includes a copy of a fire protection ‘checklist’– produced by multinational property insurers, FM Global – as an example of how regular ITM inspections can be carried out more effectively to maintain systems ‘in the required working condition’.
Furthermore, a section titled ‘Way Forward’ within the document outlines a series of proposals, including improved staff FP training and a call for more efficient recording of ITM data, which are designed introduce bolster fire safety protocols throughout India.
“This document offers some seriously useful guidance which we believe business owners should take on board in order to guard their premises against the devastating effects of fire. Although very often the result of an accident, the damage fire causes is generally due to poor implementation of effective fire safety measures. With the knowledge, expertise and mitigation techniques available, there is no excuse for standards to fall short in what should be a company’s number one priority: reducing the risk of fire damage for the wellbeing of staff and their building’s structural integrity.”