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#1 Posted : 06 September 2006 13:03:00(UTC)
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Posted By Neil Koskie
We are in the process of re-siting our flammable storage area and I need to establish the following:

Does anyone have a definition of a fire wall, in relation to separation between a building and a flammable liquid storage area?

The main questions I need answering are:

1. Does a fire wall replace the need for the minimum separation distances as laid out in HSG51?

2. Do the presence of windows, doors, downspouts, air bricks and flues on a fire wall make it ineffective?

I would be very grateful if anyone can shed any light on this.

Regards
Neil
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#2 Posted : 06 September 2006 14:20:00(UTC)
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Posted By Bill Elliott
paras 191 - 121 in HSG51 should guide you
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#3 Posted : 06 September 2006 14:25:00(UTC)
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Posted By Salus
Hello Neil, who is carrying / carried out your fire RA for your company. They should be competent and be able to answer these questions.

The building Regs would be helpfull.
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#4 Posted : 06 September 2006 16:52:00(UTC)
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Posted By Aidan Toner
Im not an expert on fire(and I dont know Neils fire knowledge) but by simply reading Neils request it would appear that he is on the right tracks by attempting to establish appropriate standards.He appears to be asking sensible questions. MY POINT IS-Is it not a bit early to steer Neil off into the arms of possibly paid competent 'others' ie the assessor??.I will watch this thread to see if Neill decides he is out of his depth(a possible correct course of action) or ends up confident and eqipped to deal with this fire safety work which many of us safety 'generalists'prefer to leave to others.
PS-Sorry Neil for not being any actual help.Consider this the IOSH version of Big Brother.
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#5 Posted : 07 September 2006 08:58:00(UTC)
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Posted By Neil Koskie
Thanks guys for your pearls of wisdom.

Bill - I have looked at the paras in HSG51 you refer to and my interpretation is inconclusive as to whether a firewall does in fact replace the need for the minimum separation distance. However, on checking para 121, it seems that the location I have in mind does not meet the requirements anyway, as there are actually 3 fire walls around the proposed area.

Aiden - I have the Nebosh Gen Cert and am trusted with all fire safety throughout our site (chemical manufacturing), as well as all other safety related issues, environmental compliance and quality system management. Some might say that I am not competent to carry out these duties, but if I need external help I am usually (but not always) granted this. This brings us back to the area of competency, which I know is a big discussion point. In the eyes of my company I am competent, despite my asking to further my studies ie Nebosh Dipolma. Unfortunately they are not willing to pay or spare the time for me to do this.

Regards
Neil
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#6 Posted : 07 September 2006 18:53:00(UTC)
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Posted By Merv Newman
All openings in a fire wall should be automatically self closing in the event of a fire. (fusible links or similar) Self closing should be verified at least annually. No obstruction to self closing can be allowed (don't qtore anything in the path)

No modification may be made to a fire wall without authorisation from a competent person.

Merv

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