Hi guys,

Quick question today that I hope someone can shed some light on,

Common sense aside, should LPG (Gas) forklift trucks be driven out of a building during a fire evacuation?

I understand the need to remove the explosive (gas) from the scene but vehicle people segregation at emergency exits could be a little tricky if only one exit availible and many truck to evacuate.

Many thanks...

Pete

Keep to the simple message get out, stay out.

Don't complicate matters with thoughts of moving FLT's taking keys/leaving keys.

Leave the professionals to do their job.

Thanks guys,

I have just started a new job and the previous Health and Safety manager stated that if you are in a forklift truck, drive it out of the building.

I was a bit supprised by this and thought i'd check.

thanks again

Leave them where they are, the professional firefighters will deal with them.  Remember, you can replace buildings, equipment and even forklifts. You cant replace a peson. Get out and stay out. 

May have crept in as part of business continuity planning given an FLT is not really an "off-the shelf" item being several weeks to replace, even as a rental rather than purchase.

Originally Posted by: iluvmywife

but vehicle people segregation at emergency exits could be a little tricky if only one exit availible and many truck to evacuate.

Roller shutter doors are not normally considered acceptable as an official fire escape route, unless it is one of those types that have a pedestrian door built into it. People and vehicles should not be using the same entrance / exit.

Or at least this is what I have been told in the past by our external fire assessors.

Chris

In event of emergency ignore external fire assessor comments and exit by nearest usable means.

Im(h)o, this all really depends on the workplace. If, for example, everyone used a forklift, had their own personal access door in clos eproximity, and the area the worked in was low risk, and fitted with fire control hardware I could envision a situation in which driving the forklifts to a safe place could be considered reasonable in the case of a fire.

However, without full knowledge of the site then I doubt any H&S professional would ever recommend driving a forklift  during a fire evacuation.

In my place of work we have 3 forklifts and 80 people working. During an evacuation the drivers are told to stop their flt as soon as it is safe to do so (and it is not causing an obstruction), turn off the engine and gas, remove the keys and evacuate. This should take less than 20 seconds.

I would worry that a person could be struck during the confusion of  an evacuation. I would worry that the forklifts could cause an obstruction during evacuation. I worry that the flt would give the driver a false sense of security, meaning they would take more risks. And finally, I worry that if the situation esculated during the evacuation blocking the route, the driver would waste time having to get off the flt, thus putting themselves in more danger.

Basically, as always, it comes down to your (fire) risk assessment. If it concludes that evacuating the flts is reasonable, and the controls to protect your employees are suitable and sufficient, then go for it. Personally, I wouldn't want to have to argue for that in court though.

So, if you do allow the fork trucks to be evacuated you are are back to the OP’s question.

Although people my use the big opening in the wall to get out if they know this will take them to a place of safety ( not an enclosed yard), generally for H&S you should segregate people and vehicles. Therefore, there should be a pedestrian door as well as the roller shutter door for the fork truck. Then you would ideally have a segregated walkway outside to a place of safety. This is all in normal use unless no pedestrian needs to go to this outside area.

If you are intending to use this vehicle access as a secondary means of escape, will the door always be open? How would they use it in a power cut if closed in the winter? If there is a chain can it really be opened quickly with a single action?

In addition 14.3 (e) seems to say you should not plan on it to be used!

BS 9999:2017

14.2           Acceptable means of escape

i.         wicket doors and gates (except from high risk areas), provided that:

1.       they are not intended to be used by members of the public;

2.       not more than 10 persons are expected to use them in an emergency;

3.       they provide an opening at least 500 mm wide, with the top of the opening not less than 1.5 m above the floor level and the bottom of the opening not more than 250 mm above the floor level;

14.3           Generally unacceptable means of escape

e.       security grilles and shutters (roller, folding or sliding), loading doors, goods doors, sliding doors and up-and-over doors, unless they are capable of being easily and quickly opened. If power-operated they should:

1.       be provided with a fail-safe system for opening if either the mains supply and/or any alternative power supply fails;

2.       be capable of being easily and quickly opened manually;

Thank you everyone for your time and input, I will certainly take onboard all the comments posted.