Health and Safety for Beginners Forums

At a glance, no. Having said that, I went to an inner-city school, and there were certainly times when 'special fire hazard' would have been an appropriate designation. ;) Seriously, I would be more concerned about the number of people present all trying to get out through a single door if a fire st...

What they do elsewhere is irrelevant – in your building, they should abide by the rules that your risk assessments have determined are appropriate. Personally, I would have all non-staff persons sign in and out with no exceptions – how else can you a) account for them in an emergency, b) inform them...

jonsi wrote:So if they do that when they drive...why not follow the guidance when they're at work?

As always.

So there's no such 'minimum' amount of flammables for a cabinet to be recommended? Someone said you could have up to a litre of flammable liquids or solvents, but any more than that, you have to have a fire cabinet? If you really want to get into the meat of it: http://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosi...

Wow, has everyone taken a day off work? Its a rarity that I am second to post in here :shock: It's quiet... too quiet. Cliches aside, it is a little weird – I guess a few people felt like a long weekend? Treading water here – lots on the horizon, but currently only one task, and it's practically im...

<standard answer>What does the FRA say?</standard answer> My concern would be that if something inside started leaking, toppled or was just put back upside down, could a flammable liquid seep out of the bottom of the cabinet (i.e. is there a lip along the bottom?), spread over the floor and come in ...

Wtsd I was intrigued by your comments "Weekly fire alarm testing may impact upon lab work – this may need to be carried out out of hours, or with part of the system silenced." Can you give an example of what Lab work may be so effected? IMO, there needs to be a good justification for comp...

bernicarey wrote:Most

And that's the kicker. People know that water + electrics is a no-no. Somehow they always seem to think that foam is designed specifically for electricals.

Also, I presume both would have an issue with run-off – i.e. a risk of someone ending up standing in an electrified pool...?

Firstly, I would advise not getting too caught up on the rating / square meterage – sure, you can check the numbers afterwards, but start off by looking at the plan and ensuring that a person could reasonably reach an appropriate extinguisher from wherever they were stood when a fire started. Water ...

Edited: Heh. I missed one all-important sentence. :roll: If you have it in writing that the reason for his extended absence is definitely the fracture, and that this is "unrelated to work activity" then you are off the hook. If there is any chance that the injury did anything other than pr...

Aha, I was taking your mention of 'the managing company' as implying that all the groups present were part of the same company... If not, I would be very surprised to see enough cooperation that a single FRA / log book would be in place. More likely, there would be an FRA for the reception area and ...

My first thoughts were on the nature of the products being used within the labs, how they are delivered and how they get potentially volatile materials to the top floor. Furthermore, how often are new types of materials introduced? The nature of the work being carried out in the labs – would it caus...