Introduction
Fire hazards can pose a significant danger to the production and human lives that are essential to diminish through fire prevention control. The inspection of the amount of extinguishers and acetone in welding and molding shops in the project safeguards the space from potential danger. The welding shop faced the problem of a lack of proper consideration of the number of fire extinguishers on the floor space. One extinguisher in the 10000 ft2 area is not enough compared to the recommended amount of six extinguishers to comply with the safety requirements. The molding shop inspection was concerned with checking the sprinklers, the acetone level, and the appropriateness of an overhead gas. The situated overhead gas space heater with an open fire combined with acetone can lead to convection and is necessary to move immediately.
Fire hazards of any amount can present a severe threat to human health or even life. A carefully evaluated system and developed plan are needed to prevent any possibility of this threat and protect the people. The fire prevention and protection report aims to learn to inspect the spaces for hazard possibility and employ the course information to diminish the risks. The inspection of the amount of extinguishers and acetone in welding and molding shops in the project safeguards the space from potential danger.
Report Details
Welding Shop
The welding shop faced the problem of a lack of proper consideration of the number of fire extinguishers on the floor space. The space of 125 ft. x 80 ft. has a fire extinguisher in the center of the room near a column. The only fire extinguisher is rated as a 2A10B:C model. The following model is used for light hazards and ordinary hazards with moderate amounts of class a combustibles and flammable/combustible liquids and gases (Yates, 2017). The type of extinguisher is appropriate for the shop as welding primary danger sources are combustible materials such as sawdust or rags, and flammable liquids are coming from leaks in the welding equipment or vapors from fuel tanks.
Molding Shop
The molding shop inspection was concerned with checking the sprinklers and the acetone level. During the preparation of resins, the temperature in the shop significantly increases. The sprinkler color reflects the maximum ceiling temperature with an appropriate color of a heat-sensitive bulb on a sprinkler head (Yates, 2017). The report indicates the green color of the sprinkler head, which equals 375 °F. The flammable and explosive limit ranges are also essential to take into account when analyzing the possibility of a fire hazard. The lower flammable limit (LFL) and the lower explosive limit (LEL) of acetone used in the preparation of the resin molds is 2.6 (Yates, 2017). Accordingly, the upper flammable limit (UFL) and the upper explosive limit (UEL) of acetone is 12.8 (Yates, 2017).
Conclusions and Recommendations
The amount of fire extinguishers in the welding shop is perilously low. One extinguisher in the center of the room does not cover the whole space within walking distance. According to the table of portable fire extinguishers and travel distances by hazard, a 2A10B:C model covers the area of 75 walking ft. distance in case of light and common hazards with a moderate amount of Class A combustibles and a minimum amount of flammable liquids and gases (Yates, 2017). However, the same model does not deal with moderate amounts of flammable and combustible liquids and gases that the welding shop may be subject to. The recommended travel distance for one 2A10B:C extinguisher, in this case, lowers to 30 ft. with the maximum square coverage of 1500 ft2 (Yates, 2017). Thus, the shop area of 10000 ft2 requires at least six extinguishers to comply with the safety requirements.
The molding shop conditions also do not meet the safety standards as they pose a danger to the workers and production. The situated overhead gas space heater with an open fire can lead to convection. It is a process when thermal energy is triggered by heated fluid movements such as acetone (Yates, 2017). The mixture of liquid and certain thermal conditions can bring inflammation and fire, leading to a significant life threat. The recommendation for the molding shop would be to immediately move the gas space heater with an open flame to a different location and separate the components of the fire tetrahedron.
Fire hazards can pose a significant danger to the production and human lives. It is essential to regularly inspect and investigate the possible sources of inflammation since it is much less costly to prevent the fire than to stop it and deal with the consequences. The in-depth studies of the fire causes and prevention allow the fire inspector to accurately measure the degree of danger and apply it to a specific situation, such as in the case study.
Appendix
The area needs to be measured to count the number of extinguishers required accurately.
125 ft. x 80 ft. = 10000 ft2
Since the 30 ft. is the maximum walking ft. distance with the maximum square coverage of 1500 ft2, we need to calculate how many extinguishers can fulfill that coverage.
10000 ft2 : 1500 ft2 = 6.66
Thus, the needed amount of extinguishers is six.
References
Yates, W. D. (2017). Safety professional’s reference and study guide. CRC Press.