Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

13.7.2 Consequences
The main consequences of fi re are:
➤
death – although this is a very real risk, relatively few 
people die in building fi res that are not dwellings. 
In 2001, 38 (6%) people died out of a total of 613 in 
all fi res.
The main causes of all deaths were:
➤
Overcome by gas or smoke 
46%
➤
Burns 
27%
➤
Burns and overcome by gas or smoke 
20%
➤
Other 
7%
Clearly gas and smoke are the main risks
➤
personal injury – some 2100 people were injured 
(12%) of total injuries in all fi res
➤
building damage – can be very signifi cant, particu-
larly if the building materials have poor resistance to 
fi re and there is little or no built in fi re protection
➤
fl ora and fauna damage – can be signifi cant, particu-
larly in a hot draught or forest fi re
➤
loss of business and jobs – it is estimated that 
about 40% of businesses do not start up again after 
a signifi cant fi re. Many are under-or not insured and 
small companies often cannot afford the time and 
expense of setting up again when they probably still 
have old debts to service
➤
transport disruption – rail routes, roads and even 
airports are sometimes closed because of a serious 
fi re. The worst case was of course 11 September 
2001 when airports around the world were disrupted
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
18000
20000
Number
Malicious
Faulty fuel supplies
Faulty appliances
and leads
Misuse of equipment
Chip/fat pans
Playing with fire
Careless handling of
hot substances
Placing articles too
close to heat
Other accidental
Unspecified
Figure 13.5
Causes of fi re, 1999.

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