EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS

SUMMARY 

This study was undertaken with the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of current UK guidance relating to the control of fire hazards in workplaces containing flammable substances. Incident data relating to fires involving flammable substances in the UK were reviewed, concentrating on workplace safety and excluding offshore, mining, waste and transport accidents. The data gathered were assessed to determine those industries and building types for which consideration of fire risk involving flammable substances is critical, and key risk parameters for these cases were identified. The effectiveness of UK guidance in reducing fire risk in workplaces containing flammable substances, and how the efficacy of individual measures can be estimated, was assessed through reference to the incident data. A proposal has been developed for a method for a risk-based assessment of the fire safety within workplaces containing flammable substances, the purpose of the method is to enable high risk building or processes to be identified, or else to rank the workplace with respect to risk. This method has been evaluated against incident data to ensure that all the factors known to effect fire risk were incorporated.

This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy