On average 37,000 fires occur at industrial and manufacturing properties every year.
It is therefore crucial to know about the classes of fire as there are various types of fire extinguishers designed to put out the different classes of fire. The fuel that starts a fire determines its class and therefore the type of extinguisher that should be used to put out the fire.
There are six classes of fire:
- Class A: This is fire involving solid materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, furniture etc.
This is one of the most common types of fire due to how common solid materials are and how hard they are to eliminate. Reducing waste materials and packaging and avoiding putting such materials near electrical equipment will help to minimise the fire risk.
- Class B: Flammable liquids (Excluding cooking oils and fats)
Many liquids in workplaces are flammable and potentially explosive, so it’s important that you know what liquids are dangerous in the workplace.
A COSHH assessment should be carried out. This is a legal requirement and will identify any hazardous substances and will help you to put procedures in place to reduce the risk of fire.
- Class C: Flammable Gases
Working with gas is extremely dangerous and will increase the risk of a fire. By having a designated safe storage area to store sealed gas containers will help reduce these risks. Moreover, work should only ever be carried out by a competent and skilled worker.
- Class D: Metal fires
A common misconception about metals is that they are not a combustible material. However, some types of metals like sodium are highly explosive. They are also good conductors which will only help the fire spread. This can do some serious damage when metal is used as an integral part of the structure of building.
- Electrical Fires – Electrical equipment but once the electrical item has been removed the fire class changes
This does not come under a class because electricity is a source of ignition as opposed to a fuel. To reduce the risk of this, make sure that all electrical equipment and installations are inspected and maintained regularly.
- Class F: Cooking Oils and Fats
Do not leave food or frying equipment unattended. Deep fat frying and spillages of flammable oils are detrimental when mixed with the heat source of a kitchen.
