Fire Prevention

We have been advised to maintain a 1m gap between fluorescent light fittings and stock on a racking system. This is causing huge problems as we have very little space to store a lot of stock already without this restriction I have asked why as there is virtually no heat radiated from such a fitting compared with a filament fitting such as a light bulb or halogen tube. The response has been very 'jobsworth' - in essence 'do as you are told' Does anyone know why such a rule is necessary or whether this is lifted from a standard or guide?? Thanks

What is the procedure of when there is a fire and the loading bay shutter doors are open? Do we close them to prevent more oxygen feeding the fire? If you could give me some advice that would be much appreciated.

Hi, Just wanted to enquirer to see if there was any precautions to having a microwave in the office kitchen room? Thank you, Clare

My father is in a Residential Home in West Sussex. We have just bought him a motorised buggy so he can get out and about. The home have an outdoor covered plug socket he could plug his buggy into but are saying that he cannot do that for Health & Safety reasons. Could you confirm this is correct? Many thanks

I have a problem in that occasionally my work place has a smoulder incident; in which a build up of dust or other paper debris begins to smoulder usually within a saw or other electrical equipment. I know the first step would be to remove the hazard and action is being taken to improve the cleaning regime and extraction to prevent the build up of fuel within the area. That said I would like to ensure that should another smoulder incident take place we are prepared to deal with it. So far I have identified that using an extinguisher would be a very bad idea, the sudden influx of pressured water, foam or CO2 would cause the smouldering dust / debris to disperse …

Hello. I have a lounge with a very tall ceiling. Beside is a kitchen with a low ceiling. Therefore there is an attic room above the kitchen to make up for the height difference. I would like to convert this attic into a room. It would need a staircase coming down into the lounge. Is it possible to install this staircase without boxing it in as long as i have a fire alarm system with sensors in every room? Yours faithfully Antony

Hi, I have heard of fires being started by the sun's rays shining on mirrors or glass ornaments in a window. Would that also apply to an old glass float which is made of green coloured glass? Thanks

Please can you advise if there are any fire risk for a 6 year old child sleeping in a conservatory with an oil filled electric radiator

I have been asked to advise on safety in a warehouse. At night they charge 2 electric FLTs in the there, under some racking with flat-packed cardboard boxes on. Otherwise the warehouse is very spacious L,W & H. What is the likelihood of fire? - and do they need to worry about aprons etc. when simply clamping leads to batteries?

We are looking to move into an open plan office which has a breakout room without a door. The opening will be over a meter wide and floor to ceiling in height. One colleague is worried that we would not be allowed a microwave or kettle without a door, however I believe that as long as kept any fuel such as loose papers or refuse away from the surface we could have these things. I was also planning on having a CO2 fire extinguisher to reduce the chances of a fire getting far. So long as we regularly inspected the wiring for the appliances, we should be okay. Can you confirm that I am correct in identifying this as a potential hazard, but that with the precautions menti…

We're about to start the conversion of a two story Victorian house into four apartments. 1 in the basement, 1 on the ground floor 1 on the first floor and 1 on the second. One of the main jobs will be to create a fire and soundproof barrier between each floor. My question is. Hoping to save the original mouldings on the ceilings, is there a product out there that will both soundproof and give 1 hour fire protection we can install between the joist. We're looking at installing it while having floor boards removed to rewire and re-plumb.

I recently visited a purpose built small block of flats (Ground & 3 over). Block was built around the early part of the 20th century, maybe 1920's. Consists of a main front door from the street leading to a small open lobby and 1 central staircase serving all floors. The doors to individual flats open directly onto that staircase with no additional fire separation. They appeared to be quality constructed doors but, for various reasons, I was unable to verify if they were fitted with intumescent strips & cold smoke seals. The block as a whole is fitted with automatic fire detection in the the communal areas and within each flat. A coupe of questions : 1/ Given …

Is there any statutory distance for materials such as oil in IBC's & skips of general rubbish to be stored externally away from a building? These items fall outside HSG71 & our Insurance Company are demanding 5metres separation which is impossible on our size of site.

I would like to ask for some help! Do you know if there is any requirements for fire resistance of gas fittings? Any help is much appreciated.

I have just purchased a Morphy Richards table top mini oven for my mother. The surface she wants to put it on is wooden. I have purchased a heat resistant glass worktop saver that is larger than the oven. Is this a safe procedure?

I am working for an organisation that is in the process of building new premises. For many good reasons, the designated smoking area (not an enclosed or covered space, merely a hatched 'box' painted on the ground) is to be located at the centre of the rear elevation. However, we have just learned that the gas meter enclosure is also to be sited in approximately the same place. Is there any reason why we should consider relocating the designated smoking area? Any advice would be much appreciated Regards Paul

Hi, I am desperately seeking fire safety advice for the use of electric blankets being used with memory foam mattresses or memory foam toppers. I moderate a static caravan forum, and there are a large amount of members planning to do this in their static caravans. As the season has just begun, I need to find this safety information asap to keep everyone safe. Can you help please? can you point me in the right direction of fire safety advice in this subject?

I am specifically looking for a mechanical door opener that, in effect, works the opposite way of a door closer. So when the door lock is released the door will gently spring open. I have a requirement to link a smoke shaft door into an addressable alarm system. I saw a system in an old building in Belgium whereby the smoke shaft door was held shut with a mag lock and upon activation the lock released and the door was literally pulled open by the device I am looking for, a sprung door opener rather than a typical door closer.

What is the reasoning behind 60 minute fire resistant walls only requiring 30 minute doors in some blocks of flats.

hi Please could you give me some clarification what a acritical escape route is and as the mamager of the building what my responibilities are? Thanks

Hello We live in a converted flat in a four storey Victorian semi detached house. We are leaseholders and our landlord has decided we need emergency lighting and category D smoke alarms ( we currently have individual smoke alarms and two in the communal hall). There are 5 flats and 4 are owner occupier, only one is rented. Could you tell me what sort of system is necessary as we are told the building does not meet regulations. And can you recommend the most cost effective way. Or are we meeting regulations due to the owner occupier ratio? Many thanks

Can you tell us what we should do asap / who we should seek advice from please... We have become aware of a burning smell in an area where we have working smoke detectors - smoke detectors remains silent (no smoke).Smells like synging hair - no appliances on - no vacuum cleaner or hairdriers, oven. All appliances off apart from computer and printer - have checked and smelt these - smell OK. I've checked plug electrical sockets and lights. This is the second time weve noticed this smell (it's quite strong)...now fading. Needs to be followed up - please advise who we should call Thanks

Is it possible to buy a battery operated smoke alarm that will link up to a mains one already installed so if one goes off it relays to the other to go off . If so where can i get this product

Hi I am need of some general advice please are polystyrene tiles legal? I realise if there was to be a fire that they would catch alight easily not to mention the toxic fumes they would give off? Are there any legal requirements these days? any advice is mucha appreciated...

We make steel containers that are acoustically treated, to house diesel generators, and would like to know if we can achieve a fire rating for them. Each container will differ in size, depending on the size of the generator that will be installed into it, but the manufacturing process remains identical. Could you advise what is required to achieve a ‘fire rating’, and how we would go about achieving it. We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.