FEATURE FIRE SAFETY
UNDER PRESSURE Tackling fire safety in warehousing and logistics
To combat the growing threat and reduce fire risks in warehouses, sprinklers are now compulsory in warehousing facilities over 2,000m2
W
arehousing and logistics is under more pressure than ever before. Nowadays,
consumers want instant gratification when shopping, completely transforming the way that the warehousing and logistics sector operates. To deal with the increasing demand that comes with the popularity of e-commerce – whether in grocery, apparel, or white goods – products are moving more quickly and more widely around the world than ever before. In doing their best to keep up, retailers and
warehousing specialists are overlooking the increased fire risk in warehouses due to an increased load of goods and packaging. As retailers prepare their operations in light of the uncertainty of Brexit, stockpiling products is becoming commonplace, leading to even greater strain on the warehousing sector. As such, the demand for safe, secure warehousing is greater than ever before. Logistics and storage providers must ensure the safety of their staff and the security of stock is able to withstand these pressures – and solid fire suppression is absolutely crucial. To combat the growing threat and reduce fire
risks in warehouses, sprinklers are now compulsory in warehousing facilities over 2000m2
. The impact
of sprinkler systems in warehouses cannot be overstated. The British Sprinkler Alliance (BSA)
found that warehouse fires cause a loss of £230 million to UK business every year, and a further annual loss of £190 million in the impact on productivity and the supply chain. This makes no mention of the most important factor: the threat to lives and livelihoods.
THE TECHNOLOGY ITSELF When it comes to fire suppression, the key piece of equipment is sprinklers. While the fire suppression landscape has changed enormously over the years, the technology behind sprinklers has been mostly unchanged for decades now – a temperature of more than 68 degrees causes a bulb in the nozzle to fracture, discharging water through the sprinkler. A fully-functioning and well-maintained sprinkler system should prevent fires from ever getting out of control, even in a large and complex environment like a warehouse, and the basic components do succeed in preventing further damage. Intelligent systems are the next step forward
for fire suppression in warehousing. By connecting sprinkler systems to intelligent devices throughout the building, safety teams can gain access to monitoring data from offsite and receive regular updates on any anomalies or alerts. This has multiple benefits: the obvious increased safety for people and assets in the warehouse, a reduced need for on-site teams to physically investigate incidents, and improved convenience for on-duty safety personnel. A connected sprinkler system could perform
basic analysis on an activated unit, along with other safety systems, to establish whether it is or was a real fire, and if so, how severe it is. This is currently a hypothetical ability in most warehouse facilities, but with the Internet of Things and its associated technologies becoming more ubiquitous across industries, sophisticated, connected, and intelligent sprinkler systems will soon be commonplace.
GETTING UP AND RUNNING Ultimately, reducing the risk of disastrous and life-threatening fires in warehouses requires an
18 WINTER 2019 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE . The impact of sprinkler systems in
warehouses cannot be overstated: they reduce the risk of disastrous and life-threatening fires. Paul Berry, Johnson Controls, explains more about the essential role of sprinklers
understanding of the solutions available and access to a system provider that is able to advise what will best suit a specific warehouse. To build the safest and most secure warehouses possible – for both the goods and the workforce – you need a team who can come in at the earliest stages of development to design a unique infrastructure, whether from scratch or retrofitting around existing or changing infrastructure. With health and safety being the crux of the
growing demand on retailers and therefore the warehousing industry, it is important to also work with a provider that is able to keep up and stay on top of the latest regulatory standards. Doing so is crucial to protecting assets and lives. Only agile teams with the expertise and desire to keep up can consistently meet health and safety standards. Most warehouse projects are fast-tracked – as
soon as a contract is signed, the retailer wants their products on the racks as quickly as possible. Having a compliant fire suppression system ready to go is one of the necessities, and without it, a retailer is missing out on profits or putting safety at risk. Generally speaking, the larger the retailer, the faster they want their warehouse up and running. For example, a contractor working with an online retailer setting up around the country will need a provider who can deploy teams whenever, wherever, to ensure projects are not stalled by a lack of resources. Successful fire suppression in such a high-
pressured environment comes down to expertise, speed and agility. Only then can contractors and the warehousers they work with be sure that warehouses are as compliant and effective as possible. Having these considerations highlighted at the beginning of the project, and kept at the forefront of minds, will result in a warehouse’s workforce being able to deal with the demand from retailers without having to worry about health and safety. In turn, retailers can be equally safe in the knowledge that their stock and employees are safe, and that business can get to work quickly and efficiently.
Johnson Controls
www.johnsoncontrols.com / INDUSTRIALCOMPLIANCE
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