Fluorescent Light Fittings & Fires

Fluorescent Light Fittings & Fires

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  Health, Safety andEnvironment Weekly Safety Review 15 SIMS awaiting First Aid Recordable Managers Comments No. injuries ytd 11 2 Injury rate ytd 0 0 No. days worked since last 193 Injury Performance Issue Date : 28 / 8 / 2012 OSHA recordable (11/2/12) No. days worked since last 193 1 INJURIES First aid injury – Contractor suffered F/B in eye RIDDOR injury (11/2/12) THIS WEEK Key amongst the events last week was a fluorescent light fitting which had overheated, causing a small localised fire. We consider that event to be so important, it is the topic of our safety communication this week. The Laws which apply are : • The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAW Regulations) which covers the design, construction, operation or maintenance of electrical systems and equipment • The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which identifies general fire safety precautions Wilton Site – Lesson from History 1 Event summary At approximately 0400hrs on the 9th October 1995 the fire alarm sounded in ICI’s Wilton Site Emergency Services Control Centre, alerting of a fire in the BASF South Area Stores warehouse which was used for storing polypropylene finished products. A major emergency on the site was declared and the full on-site emergency plan initiated. No direct root causes for the fire was determined. The results of the investigation (BASF and Cleveland County Fire Brigade) suggested the probable cause was a fluorescent light fitting overheating, causing the ignition of its Perspex cover which dropped flaming molten plastic onto stored product below. The warehouse lighting was in continuous use.
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  Wilton Site –Lesson from History 2 Event Summary The LDPE fire in 2009 began in cabins used by contractors building the plant. No-one was in the cabins when the fire was discovered shortly after 2am. There was significant damage to the cabin area. An investigation identified one probable cause was a fluorescent light fitting overheating, causing the ignition of its Perspex cover which dropped flaming molten plastic onto stored paper and wooden furniture below. Our Emergency Services team have also been involved in putting out other local fires caused by overheating florescent lights at a customers Portrack storage location, on …. 04th June 2007 - 06th June 2007 - 29th November 2010 We can therefore also add these events to our corporate memory and learning. In order to be able to minimise the potential for future fire safety concerns, (at work or home) we need to ……..  Make sure installation and maintenance of electrical items is carried out by competent personnel  Report electrical defects immediately and ensure repairs are carried out promptly A fluorescent fitting should be reported as faulty if: • It flashes repeatedly at starting • The ends of the tube glow red • There are loose parts or it is dangling from its fixings • It vibrates or there is a smouldering smell  Turn off lights and other electrical items which are not in use (also good for carbon emissions reasons)  Reduce the quantity of combustible materials we store, particularly in office environments
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  The key thingsto report regarding fluorescent lighting fittings are : A common failure mode of most fluorescent lighting fittings is overheating of the choke, the plug in starter or the end cap connectors - should these overheated items fall onto combustible materials a fire can result. The lighting diffuser material in many cases is acrylic and it burns well . A fluorescent fitting should be reported as faulty if: • It flashes repeatedly at starting • The ends of the tube glow red • There are loose parts or it is dangling from its fixings • It vibrates or there is a smouldering smell Lighting checks Hazardous area lighting, road lighting and emergency lighting is checked on a time basis, most standard fittings are checked on a defect basis. Should defects turn up a common manufacturing issue then all of that type are checked otherwise regular checks are not done by technicians. There are over 10.000 lights in Sembcorp and everyone in Sembcorp is under many of them every day, so defect reporting should be effective. Caution on High pressure sodium lamps - These lamps contain a bead of sodium metal in a silica glass tube . if the tube breaks the sodium self combusts in a flash of intense light and heat. These fittings must not be used in offices or similar, warehouses where there are combustible materials or in hazardous areas. Caution on lamp disposals - All fluorescent lamps contain very toxic materials and care is needed to dispose of tubes safely. Non lighting devices with fluorescent tubes. Many screen displays have built in arrays of small fluorescent tubes. The current in these is electronically controlled and they do not suffer the many overheating concerns of standard lighting.