Todays post is provided by Roy Poteete. Roy regularly blogs on issues related to business safety and the fire prevention. You can read his blog at http://www.rpoteete.blogspot.com/.
In this article I will post some pictures of a place I use too work at. These pictures were taken with premission of said employeer and I took these pictures the same night the fire inspector came and did his so called fire inspection and pass the building as being compliant with State, Local, County Building and BOCA Building Codes. Just look at the gross neglect and how careless the inspector was! Allowing storage of Caustic, Paint Thinners, Paint, Caulk, gallon of WD40, combustibles and several packs of steel wool......you are asking for trouble. These are stored in a plactic storage locker and about 25' away is a marked flammable storage locker. But look at the pictures.....from NO SMOKE DETECTOR TO FIRE EXTINGUISHERS NOT MARKED, SERVICED, INSPECTED AND IMPROPER PLACEMENT OF SAID EQUIPMENT TO THE USE OF AN OIL TRANSFEER PUMP THAT IS NOT FOR THE USE ITS BEING USED FOR. THE PUMP DOES NOT HAVE APPROVAL FOR HAZARDS LIQUIDS OR FOR IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT!
EPIC FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE FIRE CHIEF, THE FIRE INSPECTOR AND THE BUILDINGS OWNER AND THE MECHANIC THAT IS SUPPOSE TO PLACE THE SAID FLAMMABLES AND CAUSTIC IN THE PROPER PLACE.
MISSING SMOKE DETECTOR, THIS IS THE ONLY LOCATION IN THIS FACILITY FOR SMOKE DETECTOR
IMPROPER STORAGE UNDER WOOD STEPS
FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS STORED IN A PLASTIC STORAGE CABINET
IMOPROPER UNSECURED STORAGE ON A WOOD COMBUSTIBLE MADE SHELF, ABOVE A TANK OF OIL.
ABOVE IS A STORAGE TANK FILLED WITH DIESEL FUEL NOT MARKED, ABOUT 2' AWAY FROM THE ELECTRIC CIRCUT PANEL
STORAGE UNDER THE STEPS OF COMBUSTIBLE FORM, ALSO A DIESEL ELECTRIC POWERED STEAM WASHER THAT IS IN USE EMITTING HOT GASES INTO THE BUILDING CAUSING A CO INCREASE AND NO EXHAUST SYSTEM TO EXTRACT THE CO FROM THE BUILDING.
STORAGE OF MIXED PARTS WITH FLAMMABLE COMPRESSED CLEANERS IN THE CARDBOARD BOXES ON THE SHELF
STORAGE OF PAINT, PAINT THINNERS, CAUSTIC ACIDS, CAULKS, WD40 AND OTHER COMBUSTIBLES IN A PLASTIC STORAGE LOCKER.
OIL DUMP AREA....THE PUMP IS NOT MARKED FOR HAZARD OR FLAMABLES LIQUIDS. LOOK AT THE PLACEMENT OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER. IF A FIRE WAS TOO HAPPEN IN THE AREA YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RETREIVE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE.
NO EMERGENCY ESCAPE LIGHTS ANYWHERE IN THE BUILDING. THE DUAL LIGHTS ON THE MOTION DETECTOR ONLY WORKS ON MOTION AND WHEN NO LIGHTS ARE ON. NOT APPROVED FOR EMERGENCY ESCAPE LIGHTS.
STORAGE OF COMBUSTABLES UNDER WOOD STEPS, WITH A PARTS WASHER SITTING AGAINST THE STAIR RAILINGS. UNDER THE STEPS IS BRAKE CLEANERS, GALLONS OF OIL, TUBES OF GREASE, PAPER, AND WORK CLOTHES. THERE IS NO STORAGE CONTAINER FOR WORK/SHOP TOWELS IN THE BUILDING. THE MECHANIC TOSSES THE TOWELS IN WITH HIS WORK CLOTHES.
ALUMINUM LADDER LEANING AGAINST A BANK OF BATTERIES....WHAT YOU CANNOT SEE IS THAT THE LADDER IS TOUCHING ONE OF THE POSTS ON THE BATTERY.
Additional note: This building has outside electric oultlets that are not GFCI Protected nor is the Electric panel and they lay electric cords on the ground not waterproofed plugs. Make sure when you inspect the building that at least the panel is GFCI portected on the panel if the outlets are not GFCI protected.
Note: the fire inspector completed this building in 15 minutes and it passed.....complete failure on his part too allow this to pass.
Be Fire Safe, Be Fire Wise and do a complete thorough inspection, as well as a complete fire building pre-plan include that they (business operators) have a complete MSDS for all chemicals that they use.
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