Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

Fire hazards and control
219
must be protected to the required minimum grade of 
fi re resistance. If an external wall joins a fi rebreak wall 
and has an opening near the join, the fi rebreak wall may 
need to extend beyond the external wall.
An important function of external walls is to contain 
a fi re within a building, or to prevent fi re spreading from 
outside.
The fi re resistance of external walls should be 
related to the:
➤
purpose for which the building is used
➤
height, 
fl oor area and volume of the building
➤
distance of the building from relevant boundaries 
and other buildings
➤
extent of doors, windows and other openings in 
the wall.
A wall, which separates properties from each other, 
should have no doors or other openings in it.
13.13 
Provision of fi re-fi ghting 
equipment
If fi re breaks out in the workplace and trained staff can 
safely extinguish it using suitable fi re-fi ghting equip-
ment, the risk to others will be removed. Therefore, all 
workplaces where people are at risk from fi re should be 
provided with suitable fi re-fi ghting equipment.
The most useful form of fi re-fi ghting equipment 
for general fi re risks is the water-type extinguisher or 
suitable alternative. One such extinguisher should be 
provided for around each 200 m
2
of fl oor space with a 
minimum of one per fl oor. If each fl oor has a hose reel, 
which is known to be in working order and of suffi cient 
length for the fl oor it serves, there may be no need for 
water-type extinguishers to be provided.
Areas of special risks involving the use of oil, fats 
or electrical equipment may need carbon dioxide, dry 
powder or other types of extinguisher.
Figure 13.11
Types of fi re extinguishers and labels.
Blue
Cream
Cream
Red
Black
Canary
Yellow