On Monday, October 24, 2022, a fire spread quickly through the yard of a commercial building in Monrovia, CA. By the time the fire department arrived, the fire had ignited approximately half of the yard…
Read More Category: Construction
Nearly everyone has some experience in a casino. Whether you are a high roller playing your favorite table game, playing the penny slots, or just driving down Las Vegas Boulevard as a tourist, you have…
Read MoreThe following is an update to our May 2019 technical web article “Protection and Approvals for Combustible Plastic Ductwork.” The removal of dust, smoke, and fumes is a critical part of many industrial and commercial…
Read MoreThe removal of dust, smoke, and fumes is a critical part of many industrial and commercial operations. Any damage occurring to critical process ductwork can halt operations and result in property damage as well as…
Read MoreThe large numbers of food factories and warehouses worldwide will continue to climb in the coming years. These food facilities have similarities in their construction that may put them at increased fire risk. Risk factors…
Read MoreThere are significant property loss prevention hazards that occur during the construction of a building. The challenge is having active manual or automatic protection and detection available as soon as possible. In most cases, automatic…
Read MoreThe following is an updated review of the fire hazards of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels. Previous Risk Logic articles from January 2015 and January 2014 still apply but new data has entered the field of…
Read MoreAfter our March 2016 article entitled “Retrofitting Standing Seam Roofs with External Enhancement Elements: Clamps,” FM Global updated and revised their Property Loss Prevention Data Sheet 1-31, Panel Roof Systems. The data sheet was completely…
Read MoreThe following is a synopsis of the new FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheet 1-15 “Roof Mounted Solar Photovoltaic Panels.” This is a new data sheet, issued in July 2014 with October 2014 revisions.…
Read MoreFlue spaces are necessary for rack storage arrangements to allow heat from a fire to quickly vent vertically. This is critical in order to help ensure the ceiling-level sprinklers will operate as quickly as possible.…
Read MoreDamage to fire protection equipment can occur during winter weather and in all regions. It happens in areas where freezing temperatures are common and in areas where temperatures are typically moderate with freezing temperatures not…
Read MoreOccasionally loss prevention procedures need revision as we learn more about how to protect the hazard. In January 2008 we wrote a comprehensive article on Property Loss Prevention in Glass Manufacturing Plants. This month we’ve…
Read MoreWhy do we see so much new construction in Europe that includes plastic panels? The sales pitch from the architects to the customers is that higher insulation levels provided by these plastic panels is better…
Read MoreOn a regular basis we look at our previous articles and, when sufficient changes occur, we update them for our readers. Sometimes it’s due to new technology, sometimes to loss history and sometimes to look…
Read MoreIt disheartens us that even after the nightclub fires in Rhode Island, USA in February 2003 and in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2004, the lessons of those tragic events appear to have not been…
Read MoreFiber reinforced plastic (FRP) panels, sometimes referred to as glassfiber reinforced plastic (GRP) panels, is a composite material made up a polymer matrix reinforced with fibers. The fibers are typically glass, but carbon, basalt, cellulose…
Read MoreProcessing, handling and storing of combustible dusts within enclosed equipment (i.e., mixers, blenders, mills, separators, cutting tools, holding bins, dust collectors, cyclones, etc.) can easily create an explosive atmosphere that could be ignited by tramp…
Read MoreElastomeric insulation, also known as closed cell foam insulation, is a flexible type of plastic insulation close to the consistency of rubber. It is normally used as insulation for piping and ducting but is known…
Read MoreWhat is COPE? It is the Construction Occupancy Protection and Exposure risk for each building. Significant fire damage in large buildings occurs approximately 300 times per year in the United States. Such fires cause property…
Read MoreOur previous articles in October 2004 and August 2006 touched on the subject of the need for heat and smoke vents in fully sprinklered facilities. We wrote about engineering and fire testing research versus Building…
Read MoreRisk Management Solutions, Inc. (RMS) specializes in developing probabilistic models of catastrophes. These catastrophe (CAT) models are developed using detailed databases of highly localized variations in hazard characteristics, as well as databases capturing property inventory,…
Read MoreCommercial ammonia refrigeration systems are widely used throughout various industries, but are used primarily in the food industry to help prolong shelf life. All refrigeration systems operate essentially as heat pumps, removing the heat from…
Read MoreYou might wonder why fire protection is important in a building that is under construction – especially if the building will have noncombustible and/or fire rated construction. An estimated 4,800 fires occur annually on construction…
Read MoreFreeze-ups can cause damage to your site’s buildings, operations and fire protection equipment. Here are some basic items that can help prevent and control that damage. Have a winterization plan in place. Review it well…
Read MoreThe use of natural gas is very common in most industrial and commercial buildings. The gas can be used for process and/or heating. Natural gas is highly combustible, and various precautions are needed to ensure…
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again for the Northern Hemisphere – Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. As a supplement to our earlier articles dealing with preparing for severe windstorms (see December…
Read MoreSeveral factors come into play when it comes to designing earthquake protection for a building. These include site selection, building type and the particular building code used. This month, we will discuss considerations for structural…
Read MoreThere are various types of glass manufacturing plants, and the processes and associated hazards differ significantly. One thing they have in common is that business interruption potential is higher than other types of occupancies, since…
Read MoreChoosing the correct roofing system for your facility may not be easy. There are many factors that should be taken into consideration based on the geographic location and other conditions of your facility. Protection against…
Read MoreIn our July 2006 article, we described methods for lowering the risk of a fire after an earthquake. One portion of the article discussed ways to protect piping used to transfer flammable liquids and gases,…
Read More