Fire Protection Cleaning away fire risks
Fire risks represent some of the main concerns which property facilities managers must address, yet not all are aware that some fire risks actually need to be cleaned away using specialist cleaning services, as Martin Hembling, Sales Director for Swiftclean Building Services, explains.
Some fire risks are formed over time from accumulated dust, grease or airborne debris. Combatting these requires a management process to control and periodically thoroughly remove this unwanted build up, in accordance with the recognised industry standards or guidance documents. Failure to do this could result in prosecution for a charge of negligence.
Here are the basics of compliance in a nutshell: 1: YOUR LEGAL REQUIREMENTS Kitchen Extract Fire Safety Cleaning
In accordance with TR/19, the leading guidance document concerning ventilation ductwork hygiene issued by BESA, all ventilation ductwork must be cleanliness classified as high, medium or low; this will determine how frequently ductwork must be tested and at what point they should be cleaned. There are tables in TR/19 to help. In the case of kitchen extract ductwork, they are a category of their own and cleaning frequency will depend on the rate of grease accumulation which is associated with how long the kitchen is in use and the type of cooking carried out. Kitchen extracts will always require close management because grease deposits represent a considerable fire risk, there are many cases of serious fires associated with grease laden kitchen extract ductwork.
Fire Damper testing and maintenance
Fire damper testing and cleaning is a legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. Fire dampers must be tested in accordance with BS:9999 2008, using a method known as ‘drop testing’. Spring operated models must be tested every 12 months; all others should be drop tested, cleaned and maintained at least every two years. In residential settings, however, all fire dampers must be tested annually, regardless of type.
2. KEEP IT CLEAN
To remove grease in kitchen extract ductwork, you have to gain access to the entire system. This may mean installing access doors so that operatives can access the system fully and regularly, in order to remove all grease and achieve TR/19 compliance. In some cases, access platforms or other alterations may also be required to ensure safe access to the ductwork.
Accumulated dust and debris can prevent fire dampers from working correctly. Again, you must have access to fire dampers in order to drop test, clean and maintain them on a regular basis, so that, should the worst happen, you can rely on them to do their very vital fire safety job.
Grease removed during a Swiftclean kitchen extract clean Open and closed fire dampers
8
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56