unit 7 report

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Feb 20, 2024

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Running head: FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION REPORT 1 Fire Prevention and Protection Report Hannah Hattaway Columbia Southern University OSH 4308-15D-5B21-S1, Advanced Concepts in Environmental Safety Management June 15, 2021
FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION REPORT 2 Fire Prevention and Protection Report In accordance with the contract formed between Acme Manufacturing Co. and Be Safe Consulting, Inc (BSCI), further services has been requested by Acme. BCSI will conduct a fire protection and prevention inspection. During the inspection notes were taken in the following areas: welding shop and molding shop. These notes will be explained in further detail within this report along with appropriate recommendations if any. For the month of June 2012, Ms. Hannah Hattaway BSCI safety consultant, conducted a fire protection and prevention inspection at Acme Manufacturing Co. Several notes were taken on the welding shop and the molding shop concerning the fire extinguishers, sprinkler system, and certain chemicals being used near open flames. Assessment Findings During the fire protection and prevention inspection that was requested by Acme Manufacturing Co, BSCI safety consultant noticed that within the welding shop there was only one fire extinguisher located in the center of the room near a column. Upon further inspection let it be noted that the current fire extinguisher is rated as a 2A10B:C extinguisher. There is a concern that the welding shop may not have the adequate number of fire extinguishers present. BSCI has collected measurements of the floor space to address this concern and determine if one fire extinguisher is adequate for this area. The measurements of the welding shop are 125 ft x 80 ft measuring for a total of 10,000 ft^2. The fire extinguisher that is present in the welding shop is a multipurpose fire extinguisher, which means this particular fire extinguisher (2A10B:C) will cover up to 3,000 ft^2 for Class A fires and 10 ft^2 for Class B/C fires. According to the measurements taken and the rating of the current fire extinguisher, there is currently not an adequate amount of fire extinguishers present according to the following Table 10.1 that shows
FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION REPORT 3 the hazard level, minimum fire extinguisher rating required, maximum travel distance to a fire extinguisher, and the maximum square footage of coverage ( Yates, 2015). Table 10.1 Portable Fire Extinguishers and Travel Distances by Hazard Hazard Level Minimum Fire Extinguisher Rating Maximum Travel Distance to a Fire Extinguisher Maximum Square Footage Light Hazard 2A10B:C 75 ft Maximum coverage of 3,000 ft^2 per unit of A (2A can cover 6,000ft^2) Ordinary hazard with moderate amounts of Class A combustibles and only minimal amounts of flammable/combustible liquids and gases 2A10B:C 75 ft Maximum coverage of 1500ft^2 per unit of A (2A extinguisher in this case can cover 3,000 ft^2) Ordinary hazard with moderate amounts of flammable/combustible liquids and gases Option 1: 2A10B:C Option 2: 2A10B:C 30 ft 50 ft Maximum coverage of 1500ft^2 per unit of A (2A extinguisher in this case can cover 3,000 ft^2) For both option 1 and 2. Molding shop In continuing the fire protection and prevention investigation a few notes were taken while in the molding shop. The modeling shop is where employees of Acme prepare resin molds for one of the products that is manufactured by Acme. A strong odor of acetone was indicated upon entering into the shop, which is significant in the preparation of the resin molds. There is a fire suppression sprinkler system within the shop with a green color coded head. Sprinkler heads
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FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION REPORT 4 have varying degrees of temperature sensitivities and are color coded. As for the green sprinkler heads in the molding shop indicates that the maximum ceiling temperature for this area is 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of these color codes are identified in Table 10.3 (Yates, 2015): Table 10.3 Sprinkler Head Color Codes (Maximum Ceiling Temperature) Celsius Fahrenheit Color Code 38 100 Uncolored 66 150 White 107 225 Blue 150 300 Red 190 375 Green 218 425 Orange 246 475 Orange Also upon inspection it was noticed that an overhead gas heater with an open flame was being used within the molding shop. Let it be noted that since there is a strong odor of acetone in this area that acetone is classified as a 1B flammable liquid meaning it has a flash point below 73 degrees Fahrenheit and below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Acetone also has a LFL/LEL of 2.6 percentage of air and a UFL/UEL of 12.8 percentage of air. Acetone is one of many commonly used gases that are used as a fuel or in combustion process, which is depicted below in Table 10.7 (Yates, 2015): Table 10.7 Lower and Upper Flammability/Explosive Limits for Common Chemicals Chemical LFL/ LEL UFL/UEL Acetaldehyde 4 60 Acetone 2.6 12.8 Acetylene 2.5 81 Ammonia 15 28 Arsine 5.1 78 Benzene 1.35 6.65 Carbon monoxide 1.3 8
FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION REPORT 5 Recommendations and Conclusions The above information presented in this report should accurately help Acme Manufacturing Co make corrections to the welding and molding shop that will uphold Fire and Life Safety Codes. BSCI safety consultant noted within the welding shop that there is not an adequate number of approved fire extinguishers to adequately cover the 10,000 ft^2 area and be within the maximum travel distance to a fire extinguisher. With the current fire extinguisher having a rating of 2A, a fire extinguisher must be provided for each 3,000 square foot of the floor area. Therefore, for the welding area it is recommend for Acme to install at a minimum of 4 fire extinguishers. BSCI recommends for these fire extinguishers to be placed no more then 75 feet from any given location and located along normal paths of travel. BSCI recommends for ACME to immediately remove the overhead gas heater that had an open flame that was noticed at the time of the inspection. Since acetone is a significant chemical that has to be used in the preparation of the resin models, there should be no open flames in this area because acetone is a highly flammable class 1B liquid with a LFL/LEL of 2.6 percentage of air and 12.8 percentage of air. Having an open flame around or near acetone is very dangerous and present a serious hazard. BSCI recommends ACME to have a fire inspector come in and properly remove or close off the overhead gas heater and install a more compatible heat source for the molding shop, if needed, that does not produce a fire hazard while chemicals such as acetone is being used. BSCI’s last recommendation for Acme is to have the ventilation system checked by an approved industrial hygienist, due to the strong odor of acetone that was present when entering the molding shop. The ventilation system is essential in reducing or eliminating the amount of vapors that are being put off by chemicals, such as acetone, from the employees breathing area
FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION REPORT 6 and reducing the potential chance of a health hazard occurring. The ventilation system also reduces the chances of a fire hazard by eliminating the vapors being produced by chemicals, specially if there is a source of ignition within the area like the overhead gas heater. If additional assistance is needed regarding safety services, please feel free to contact the Be Safe Consulting, Inc. (BSCI).
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FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION REPORT 7 References Yates, W. D. (2015). Safety professional’s reference and study guide (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.