The significance and observance of safety distances concerning the parking of forklift trucks and other machinery is in particular highlighted in the storage areas of the wood and paper industry, where the fire loads are significant. The fire safety of machinery was dealt with in the Lessons from Losses 8/2006. In this issue of Lessons from Losses, the fire extinguishing and fire limitation possibilities particularly from the point of view of safety distances will be dealt with.
Loss Examples
A wheel-mounted loader which was located underneath a paper mill’s chip conveyor ignited. However, it was possible to drive the loader away from the risk area even though the loader was already in flames. This prompt action prevented the fire from spreading.
A Wheel-mounted loader had stopped next to the saw mill’s saw dust silo, waiting for a lorry which was fetching its load. Smoke began to rise from the back part of the loader. The driver tried to get the loader to move, i.e. so that it was further away from the silo, but this was not possible. The wheels had locked because the brakes had seized. The driver was able to alarm the driver of another loader, which was in the near vicinity. A cable wire was connected from the loader to the wheel-mounted loader, which was now fully engulfed in flames. However, it was possible to tow the loader away to an open field even though the wheels were completely locked. The fire brigade, which had arrived, was able to extinguish the fire. In this case, the fire damage was limited to the burning object itself. However, when the fire first ignited, there was the extreme threat that the fire would spread first to the saw mill’s dust silo and then to the saw mill itself. This was potentially extremely threatening incident and the fact that the driver was near and acted quickly prevented a catastrophic fire from occurring.
Malfunctions which result in fires are by no means a rare occurrence. They can also appear in other types of machinery, which are used in storage areas, such as ordinary forklift trucks. During a period of excessive use, the motor, braking equipment and exhaust pipes can over heat. During such a situation, there is a danger that the rubber parts and insulators will ignite. Dirt, dust and oil leakages can increase the risk. In addition to over-heating, defects in electrical equipment are another significant cause of fires.
Safe Parking Culture and Safety Distances
The main rule of thumb is that the machinery must not be kept or parked in their actual working place in the storage area or in places where there is a fire load or the danger of a fire spreading. Lunch hours and coffee breaks are the most common situations when the rule is broken.
Safe parking and standing places, where a fire can not spread to structures or to goods and materials being stored must be clearly marked. Machinery must be visible, able to be monitored and extinguishable.
However, the performance of warehouse work might necessitate the stopping of machinery and leaving it alone for a while. It is extremely important that at such a time there is an adequate safety distance to stored materials and goods. In spite of the narrowness of driving aisles, this distance should be at least 4 metres.
The risk of fire ignition can be reduced and the spread of fire can be prevented
It is possible to significantly reduce the effects of a potential machinery fire by:
- recognizing the fire risk,
- complying with the safety distances,
- carrying out regularly service and maintenance,
- keeping the equipment clean particularly from grease run-off and
- providing the machinery rooms with automatic fire extinguishing equipment.
A fire extinguisher or fire extinguishers, which are easily accessible in machinery is the minimum requirement for fire safety.
Ilkka Kalpio
