Possible Sources of Ignition and Potential fuel hazards

Possible Sources of Ignition are:-

• Defective electrical fittings and defective or misuse of electrical apparatus - light bulbs and fluorescent tubes too close to combustible materials, misuse or defective electrical extension leads and adapters, faulty or damaged wiring.
• Matches, Lighters, Candles and Smoking materials. 
• Flame or sparks from a work process such as welding, cutting, grinding or the use of a hot air gun. 
• Sources of frictional heat.
• Electrostatic discharges. 
• Ovens, kilns, open hearths, furnaces or incinerators. 
• Boilers, engines and other oil burning equipment.
• Portable heaters.
• Cooking equipment, including deep fat fryers. 
• The threat of arson must not be overlooked and the malicious firing of combustible materials. 

The above list is by no means exhaustive and is provided merely as a guide.

Potential fuel hazards:

• Any combustibles - These can be divided into two main groups; combustible fuels such as paper, wood, cardboard, etc.; and highly combustible fuels such as thinners, solvents, polyurethane foam, etc. 
• Any unsafe procedures or acts - Persons undertaking unsafe acts such as smoking next to combustible materials.
• Any unsafe conditions - These are hazards that may assist a fire to spread in your workplace, e.g. if there are large areas of hardboard or polystyrene tiles etc., or open stairs that can cause a fire to spread quickly, trapping people and involving the whole building. 
• One hazard that is often overlooked is bad housekeeping and is the easiest to correct. It is responsible for many small fires either starting or certainly spreading and involving far more of the premises than was necessary. 

An ideal method of identifying and recording these hazards, is by means of the scaled single line plan. Checklists maybe also be useful.

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