One of the largest fires that occurred last summer originated from a burning truck loader. The intensity of a fire in loading and lifting machinery is greatly increased by dirtiness (e.g. oily sawdust, woodchips and twigs and branches). Many hydraulic hoisting machines and transmitters contain hydraulic oil, a liquid that effectively perpetuates fire. The most typical cause of fires is an electrical fault.
Fire losses can be prevented and reduced
It is recommended that the engine room for loading and lifting machinery that operates in a fire-hazardous environment should be equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system. A manual extinguishing system is only effective if a machine ignites while it is working and the driver is able to release the fire extinguishing system. However, a machine can catch fire several hours after the work has been finished. An automatic fire extinguishing system is the best solution from the fire safety point of view as it can extinguish an incipient blaze even when the machine is unmanned. Instructions concerning fire extinguishing systems for loading and lifting machinery are available from If, and it is recommended that the fire safety instructions for loading and lifting machinery should be available during acquisition negotiations. First and foremost, the manufacturer is responsible for a new machine being equipped with a proper fire extinguishing system that meets the set requirements.
Fire-hazardous environment (concerns machines which are operated in fire-hazardous environments and/or with fire-hazardous substances).
- Fire-hazardous substances include: wood chips, peat, wood, paper and petrochemical products
- Fire-hazardous environments include: the forest, sawmills, storehouses for combustible liquids, timber yards, petrochemical plants, peat fields, peat stacks, peat storehouses.
A fire in a truck loader
The truck loader was parked in a very fire-hazardous place. The machine had been unmanned for 1.5 hours when the fire began. The driver of a woodchip truck noticed the fire and called for help. The vehicle was pushed away from the fire-hazardous place with a scoop truck, and the driver of the woodchip truck extinguished the burning, dripping hydraulic oil with the water hose seen in the right lower corner.
The machine in question was burning about 70 m from the place where it caught fire and was completely destroyed. When the picture (in the lead) was taken, the machine had been on fire for about 5-8 minutes.
The fire safety of loading and lifting machinery is always based on a comprehensive solution, affected by the structure of the machine, the owner’s/user’s activity in maintaining fire safety, as well as a proper fire extinguishing system that meets the set requirements.
The most important measures for protecting the environment
Find out in which areas parking is allowed (ask the person in charge of the company’s fire protection issues)
Always park the machine in a fire-safe area (take into consideration e.g. buildings, conveyors, piles of sawdust and woodchips, as well as stacks of peat and fire-hazardous substances)
The most important measures for preventing machine fires
The machine’s general condition
- ensure that the machine is clean on a daily basis
- follow the instructions issued on hot work operations
Electric system
- check the electric cables and equipment (abrasions, attachments, feed-throughs)
- check the battery, its attachment and cables (pole protectors, main current cables)
- check the tightness of the fuse nest (use only the correct size fuses)
Tubes, pipes
- check the fuel and hydraulic tubes
- attach the electric wires and tubes after doing repair work on the machine
Mechanics
- check the protective covers of the exhaust manifold and turbocharger (heat radiation)
- check the attachment of the silencers
- check and adjust the brakes (cooling)
- clean the radiator pre-filter
Primary fire extinguishing equipment and fire extinguishing systems
- ensure that the fire extinguishing equipment and systems are checked at regular intervals
- always keep the fire extinguishing equipment and systems clean and in working order
- practice the use of portable extinguishers and familiarise yourself well with the use of the fire extinguishing equipment
The user of a machine must ensure that the fire extinguishing equipment remains in proper, and the required, working condition during the use of the machine.
Survey
It is recommended that a survey of all loading and lifting machinery should be performed. At least the following issues should be covered in the survey: location of loading and lifting machinery, the type of loading and lifting machinery, own / leased (owner), usage (e.g. to transfer wood chips), working area (fire-hazardous / not fire-hazardous), current protection level of machine (e.g. primary fire extinguishing equipment, fire extinguishing systems), minimum protection level according to safety precautions, place of parking, cleanliness and condition of machine. A thorough survey is of great help when drawing up plans to reduce a company’s fire risks.
Ari Santavuori
