Introduction to Fire Safety Management

8.1
Accidental fi res
The term accidental fi re refers to all fi res other than those 
which have been deliberately or maliciously started. 
There are a wide range of causes of fi res within the 
workplace. These will to a certain extent refl ect the use 
to which the workplace is put. It is also useful to con-
sider causes of fi res in vehicles as in many organisations 
a workplace may be a vehicle, such as in the case of a 
long distance lorry driver working for a haulage company.
Using the current statistics available it can be seen 
that that the common causes of major accidental fi res in 
the workplace fall under the broad headings of:
➤
Electrical appliances and installations
➤
Cookers, associated cooking equipment and 
installations
➤
Naked lights and fl ames
➤
Heaters and heating systems
➤
Chemical and LPG (hazardous materials)
➤
Smokers and smokers’ materials
➤
Waste and waste management systems
➤
Other 
signifi cant causes.
8.1.1 Electrical appliances and installations
Outside deliberate fi re setting, fi res that are caused by 
electrical appliances and installations are the most com-
mon cause of fi res in both industry and the home. There 
are a variety of different ways that electricity fl owing 
through equipment and installations can cause a fi re, 
these include:
Overloaded wiring
– where the electric current fl owing 
in the wires exceeds the rating of the cables. The wiring 
8
Causes and prevention 
of fi re
This chapter discusses the following key 
elements:
➤
Common causes of major fi res
➤
Fire risks associated with fl ammable, com-
bustible and explosive substances
➤
Fire risks associated with common work-
place processes and activities, including 
those associated with construction and 
maintenance operations
➤
Arson
➤
Measures to prevent fi res.

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