Fire is probably the only single factor, which could completely paralyse a thriving enterprise in a short span of time, many managements have to their cost appreciated this too late when the stark realism of the situation presents itself in the form of twisted steel- work projecting a ghostly silhouette above a mass of blackened rubble.

Such losses are occurring every minute of every hour of every day somewhere in business community of every nation, management are unaware of the extent of such losses, due to they’re being no desire or requirement to cost out such incidents. The tragic recent nightclub fire in Bucharest that killed 32 young people has a simple, but sobering lesson to be learnt when teaching people about how ultimately, it will be their own behaviours that will hurt, and even kill them.

This article will provide case studies from audits conducted in health care and Industrial facilities and how controls were implemented. Examples will be taken from several countries to demonstrate varying standards measured.

Loss prevention is both a science and an art and represents above all things, “Control”, control of people’s performance, control of machine performance and control of the physical environment. The word control must be used advisably because it connotes the prevention as well as the correction of unsafe conditions and circumstances.

The Safety Projects International Inc. 5 Star Health & Safety Management System measures management control before, rather than after the loss, thousands of companies worldwide have benefited from the pro-active 5 Star audit process, which has identified weaknesses in the management control system.

Management must stop thinking that fire safety costs money, It is the unsafe practices and things which costs. Let me present a couple of examples of how controlling costs can be far more profitable than increasing sales.

If a company sells a product or service with a 20% profit margin after all costs – raw materials, salaries and overheads etc. $1,000.00 in sales (minus $100.00 in costs) produces a $200 profit.

A 10% increase in sales increases profit by $20. But a 10% reduction in costs of only 2.5% will produce as much profit as a 10% increase in sales. Quite simply the smaller the margin on sales, the more dramatic the impact of cutting costs.

With a 10% profit margin, a 10% cut in costs, (i.e. controlling accidents which downgrade any company’s efficiency) produces nine times as much profit as a 10% increase in sales.

There is no such thing as inexpensive accidents. By implementing the 5 Star Health & Safety Management System ® we take a company or organisation on a step-by-step program of progressive improvement in controlling fire, accidental and other losses.

Fire Safety Auditing effects both professions, safety and risk managers and yet I continue to find major contraventions of even the most basic fire safety principles in health care facilities around the world.

Auditing has long been an acceptable Management Practice to ensure that critical business operations are performed in an efficient and profitable way.

Neither the public nor management would accept a financial statement as an accurate reflection on a Company’s position unless the accounts had been audited. Likewise, management and workers has inadequate verification of the effectiveness of a fire safety program without such an audit.

It is rare that on a first audit of a facility that many deficiencies are not uncovered, the following case histories demonstrate the value of comprehensive audits in identifying before the loss events which could have very serious consequences.

Each of the case histories were found in 2014 or 2015 while using the 5 Star Health & Safety Management System®, all were under Category 3, Fire Prevention Protection and Emergency Response, and are typical of critical fire loss exposures identified.

Case History One:

In a hotel in Bahrain I tested an eighth floor Fire alarm, upon breaking the glass nothing happened, subsequent investigations revealed that two floors had call points but with no wiring, the contractor had in fact double wired several floor so that the fire panel display board was lighted for every floor, N.B. Although the hotel had a weekly alarm test it was always done from the same point, ground floor close to reception.

Case History Two:

During the commissioning stage of a major Gulf region construction project I initiated an emergency response exercise, the fire pump header tanks had drained away so the pumps could not be started, a planned maintenance program and daily checks were implemented.

Case History Three:

In Malaysia during hydrant testing at a major health care facility, water flow results were lower than required to adequately operate the sprinkler systems.

After extensive testing on site failed to find the cause, the water authority was contacted and requested to verify that its water distribution valves were fully open. Two valves in the system were found to be partly closed, after fully opening the valves, the water test results increased to an adequate level.

Case History Four:

During a fire pump test at a very large health care centre in Dubai, it was noted that the results were inadequate for such a facility.

An investigation revealed that the non-adjustable relief valve was locked in the open position, causing the low results, In the event of a fire, this condition could have adversely affected the sprinkler system and firefighting effectiveness.

Case History Five:

During a fire fighting exercise in a Hong Kong hospital, it took over four hours to lift the hydrant covers:

* There were no proper Keys available to lift the hydrant covers.

* It had been so long since the lids had been lifted, they had cemented themselves in, and only hammers and chisels caused them to be moved.

* When the lids were lifted several valves were seized due to no maintenance, finally when we got water the pressure was so low it would not have provided any effective fire fighting capability.

Future investigation revealed that the market gardener next door had tapped into their ring main system for constant watering of his plants

Case History Six:

During an audit of a major facility with a new automatic sprinkler system in Hong Kong. The building’s management assumed that the water flow alarms were monitored at either location. The alarms were immediately connected.

Case History Seven:

At a mental health care facility with a newly installed alarm system and panel.

During alarm testing, fourteen- (14) sprinkler riser water flow alarms failed to register on the alarm panel. The problem was found to be faulty wiring.

Case History Eight:

At one of Malaysia’s largest and newest power stations, we tested their basic fire fighting capability by starting a small, contained fire in a waste skip, after thirty (30) minutes and as many portable fire extinguishers, the fire burnt itself out. Despite being at the late, (commissioning) stage of the power station no fire ring main had been installed and no light portable pump was available despite the close proximity of seawater.

In summary, it can be said that any activity of a company including fire safety, if not properly monitored can deteriorate to produce losses involving people, property the environment and profit.

The need for Industrial and commercial establishments to protect their customers, employees and assets by taking appropriate measures to control losses has never been greater. It is the primary goal of the 5 Star Health & Safety Management System® to give management an early warning that their controls are not quite what they should be.

The most consistent hazard encountered however was locked or badly obstructed fire exits which occurred in over 50% of facilities audited.

By:

Dr. Bill Pomfret, MSc. FIOSH, RSP, FRSH
President, Safety Projects International Inc.
Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2K 1X4.
Tel: (613) 2549233. E-mail pomfretb@spi5star.com