Safety
No Room for Fire!
According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, a fire breaks out somewhere in Russia every 4–5 minutes. Over the course of a year, fire and smoke claim the lives of thousands of our fellow citizens. What is being done to ensure that our plant does not fall into these sad statistics?
Maxim Izmailov,
industrial and fire safety engineer:
The main causes of fires in production are well known: faults in electrical networks, violations of technological conditions, the use of faulty or obviously unsafe equipment, careless handling of open fire, smoking in unauthorized and unequipped places... In most cases, it all comes down to the wrong actions of the company's employees, the so-called human factor, which cannot be completely eliminated - but everything must be done in order not to leave room and time for mistakes or accidents.
To that end, "Beko" plant regularly undergoes comprehensive industrial safety inspections (including fire safety), and any violations identified during these inspections are eliminated.
Our first audit took place last year, and starting from this year, we decided to conduct it on a regular basis - at least once a quarter. Such an audit covers not only fire safety, but also other aspects of occupational safety, and in the future it is planned to expand the audit scope. We recently completed one of our audits; we examined all production areas, compiled a list of identified defects and plans for their elimination, and handed them over to shop managers for further work. There will be a new audit in April, during which we will check the implementation of our instructions and record new violations, if any.
industrial and fire safety engineer:
The main causes of fires in production are well known: faults in electrical networks, violations of technological conditions, the use of faulty or obviously unsafe equipment, careless handling of open fire, smoking in unauthorized and unequipped places... In most cases, it all comes down to the wrong actions of the company's employees, the so-called human factor, which cannot be completely eliminated - but everything must be done in order not to leave room and time for mistakes or accidents.
To that end, "Beko" plant regularly undergoes comprehensive industrial safety inspections (including fire safety), and any violations identified during these inspections are eliminated.
Our first audit took place last year, and starting from this year, we decided to conduct it on a regular basis - at least once a quarter. Such an audit covers not only fire safety, but also other aspects of occupational safety, and in the future it is planned to expand the audit scope. We recently completed one of our audits; we examined all production areas, compiled a list of identified defects and plans for their elimination, and handed them over to shop managers for further work. There will be a new audit in April, during which we will check the implementation of our instructions and record new violations, if any.
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Routes for evacuating people in case of fire and access to fire cabinets with hydrants and equipment must always be free
What do we pay attention in the first instance when auditing? That routes for evacuating people in case of fire and access to fire cabinets must always be free. No obstacles in the passages, "extra" steps, or storage of flammable materials are allowed, otherwise people may fall into a fire trap. Cabinet doors should easily open to the required 90 degrees so that the fire extinguisher can be quickly accessed. We have to constantly ensure that fire extinguishers are always in their regular places.
As a result of the previous inspection, the approaches to some fire cabinets had to be vacated because they were filled with finished products. This violation was promptly corrected. However, in order to avoid a repetition of such a situation, it was decided to install special bumpers near the fire cabinets that do not interfere with the passage of people, but prevent littering.
As a result of the previous inspection, the approaches to some fire cabinets had to be vacated because they were filled with finished products. This violation was promptly corrected. However, in order to avoid a repetition of such a situation, it was decided to install special bumpers near the fire cabinets that do not interfere with the passage of people, but prevent littering.
New smoking areas
To ensure that our employees skillfully use fire extinguishers and other fire-fighting equipment, we regularly conduct fire safety training and issue a special certificate. One of the cycles of such training took place in December, the next classes are scheduled for April and October. In December it was impossible to carry out the practical part, but in April it is planned to take workers outside and start a real fire (of course, in compliance with all safety measures, on a special pallet) so that everyone could try their hand and skills in handling fire extinguishers. Such events are held with the assistance of the "Professional" training center - this licensed educational organization is entitled to both conduct training and issue certificates of the established state standard.
Another place that required special attention was the smoking rooms. Smoking is prohibited in the premises of the plant, and for those who like to smoke, some time ago special places were equipped near the entrances to the buildings. They were the simplest - a metal body, no ventilation, no lighting and no fire extinguishers. However, these smoking rooms did not meet fire safety requirements. Because according to the rules, smoking areas must be located no closer than 150 meters from workplaces - in order to completely prevent the entry of not only unextinguished cigarette butts and matches, but even sparks. And at the beginning of this year, new smoking pavilions were mounted. Now the smoking rooms have ventilation - the usual natural one, they themselves are made transparent (in the future there will also be lighting to make smoking more convenient in the dark), and ashtrays are installed. The smoking rooms were moved to another place, more distant from the building, which not everyone likes yet - it is far away and unusual. But safety comes first.
Another place that required special attention was the smoking rooms. Smoking is prohibited in the premises of the plant, and for those who like to smoke, some time ago special places were equipped near the entrances to the buildings. They were the simplest - a metal body, no ventilation, no lighting and no fire extinguishers. However, these smoking rooms did not meet fire safety requirements. Because according to the rules, smoking areas must be located no closer than 150 meters from workplaces - in order to completely prevent the entry of not only unextinguished cigarette butts and matches, but even sparks. And at the beginning of this year, new smoking pavilions were mounted. Now the smoking rooms have ventilation - the usual natural one, they themselves are made transparent (in the future there will also be lighting to make smoking more convenient in the dark), and ashtrays are installed. The smoking rooms were moved to another place, more distant from the building, which not everyone likes yet - it is far away and unusual. But safety comes first.
© Beko 2023