Flammable Liquids - Fire Safety Checklist - Aviva Lost Prevention Standard - Property V1.1

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To view our Loss Prevention Standard that supports this checklist, please view the following link : https://broker.aviva.co.uk/documents/view/aviva_flammable_liquids_-_fire_safety_lps.pdf

Flammable Liquids – Fire Safety

1. Do you have an up to date register of flammable substances held on the site, which includes the location of each substance and the maximum potential volume held?
2. Have you considered eliminating the flammable liquids or substituting with liquids which are either? non-flammable or have a flashpoint >60°C?
3. Has a COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) assessment been undertaken for each flammable liquid held on your premises?
4. Do the COSHH assessments consider the life cycle of each substance, including: • Remedial actions to take (to reduce the rate of substance decomposition)? • Storage conditions – recommended by the substance manufacturer/supplier? • Maximum storage timescales? • Inspection frequencies including details of inspection?
5. Does the storage and use of flammable liquids pose a risk of generating an explosive atmosphere? If yes: • Has a risk assessment been produced in accordance with the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR)? • Have all areas of the work environment been classified (into zones) as part of DSEAR, regarding risk, and duration of an explosive atmosphere? • Has ATEX certified equipment been supplied for use where appropriate?
6. Has an evaluation of flammable substance requirements (with a view to holding the minimum amount of flammable substances on your site at any one time) been carried out?
7. Are flammable substance storage areas monitored by heat and/or smoke detectors?
8. Are flammable substance storage areas monitored by vapour detection, suitable to the characteristics of the substances stored?
9. Are flammable substance storage areas protected by a fixed automatic fire suppression system, which has been designed and installed to a recognised standard (e.g. Loss Prevention Council, FM Global, National Fire Protection Association)?
10. Has a formal cause and effect matrix been established for all automated interlocks between any fire detection and/or protection systems in use within flammable substance storage areas, and local process and building operations, i.e. what will happen to site ventilation and work processes in the event of a fire alarm activation?
11. Have ventilation requirements, based upon information collected from Material Safety Data Sheets, COSHH assessments and associated work-process risk assessments, been considered in the design of a flammable substance storage area? Note (EU/UK Legislation): Adequate ventilation is typically taken to be that which limits the average concentration to no more than 25% of the Lower Explosion Limit within the building, room or enclosure containing the dangerous substance. Source: Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (Approved Code of Practice) Note (NFPA Guidance): This standard requires ventilation no-lower than 20% of the Lower Explosion Limit; or 0.305m3/m2 of the floor area, with mechanical pick ups within 300mm of the floor.
12. Are all personnel required to handle flammable substances, provided with suitable and sufficient training?
13. Is training reviewed on an annual basis, with refresher training provided to all relevant personnel?
14. Have risk assessments and written method statements been developed for: • The handling and transport, within your workplace, of flammable substances (including use of transport vehicles, such as fork lift trucks)? • Storage of flammable materials, incorporating storage requirements detailed in the Material Safety Data Sheets for a substance? • The disposal of flammable substances, in isolation or as part of a mixture of substances, following a work process or after a spillage? • The potential of spontaneous combustion of the substance, and what conditions (such as dehydration of the substance) would be required for this to occur? • The storage, and disposal, of waste rags/wipes; ensuring that the risk of ignition of waste rags is controlled (holding waste rags in closed containers)? • In anticipation of a spillage of a flammable substance, has the angle/slope of the floor been checked to determine potential areas for substance pooling? • Have drains been fitted within interceptors? • Can a spill go under fire doors, and if so, can interceptors/seals be installed? • Can spills accumulate under floors? • Has the topography of the site and surrounding location been considered?
15. Has a full risk assessment of the storage of flammable substances been undertaken, with findings of the assessment adopted by the site, covering: • Handling of substances, including receiving flammable substances on site, transferring substances to a storage point, transferring from storage to point of use (or distribution), and transferring of spent/waste material for disposal? • Transferring/decanting flammable substances from containers? • The suitability of materials used for storage containers, transfer pipes and waste stores (ensuring that materials used do not react with the flammable substance or degrade in contact with the substance, or waste products produced)? • Suitability of storage locations, including potential drop distances covering suitability of storage structures and potential for an incident to escalate based upon the storage point used, e.g. a stock of flammable powder in a high pallet bay location; in the event of a fire the packaging may breach, releasing powder to the lower levels of the racking, potentially leading to fire spread? • The potential for substance containers to degrade because of the nature of the materials used, weathering, etc.? • The potential for static build-up, from movement of the material inside it’s container, potentially leading to ignition of the substance, in the event of a leak?
16. Are flammable substances stored within buildings built from non-combustible construction?
17. For small flammable substance storage areas, are flammable liquids stored within lockable normally closed approved flammable containers, made from non-combustible materials?
18. Has a substance segregation procedure been established, which covers the storage of flammable substances?
19. Has a substance receiving area been established, for the receipt of new stocks of flammable materials?
20. Has a materials-receiving process been established; with the following information checked and recorded by trained members of staff: • The nature of hazards posed by a substance? • Substance packaging labelling, confirming that information on the packaging correlates with the manifest and that all relevant hazard-labelling and risk phrases are displayed? • The condition of the packaging confirming that there is no damage, which may give rise to leak? • A MSDS is available for the substance being received, and that the information within the MSDS has been reviewed and incorporated into the site’s control measures?
21. Does the receiving process prohibit the use of the receiving area as a storage location (with materials taken into the area checked immediately and sent to the designated storage, or quarantine area)?
22. Has a remote (10-metres from the fabric of any building) quarantine area been established for holding damaged stocks of flammable substances and/or substances with no hazard data?
23. Is the quarantine area suitably bunded; a capacity of at least 110% of the capacity of the largest container in the bund or 25% of their total storage capacity, whichever is the largest?
24. Have interceptors been fitted to drainage points?
25. Are hazardous substance segregation controls in place within the quarantine area?
26. Is the quarantine area protected by a fixed automatic fire suppression system?
27. Is the quarantine area covered by heat and/or smoke detection?
28. Is a formal procedure in place for the transfer of hazardous substances from the receiving area to the quarantine area?
29. Are all flammable substances stored away from sources of heat and ignition?
30. Are separation distances, identified through risk assessment (for flammable materials and combustibles, sources of heat, incompatible materials, etc.) maintained at all times?
31. Does the site operate a permit to work system (which covers hot work)?
32. Does the hot work permit system comply with the requirements outlined in Aviva’s Hot Work Operations Loss Prevention Standard? Is cold cutting used where possible as an alternative to hot work, if equipment cannot be moved to a safe environment?
33. Is there a formal equipment isolation procedure in place, covering the isolation and reinstatement of part or all elements of items of powered work equipment used on the site?
34. Are formal procedures in place for the disposal of waste materials (with incompatible materials not allowed to mix), and an inspection of work processes over the course of the day, monitoring levels of flammable substance waste?
35. Is a formal risk-assessed process in place for the collection of flammable substance waste and transfer to a designated holding area?
36. Have measures been taken to reduce the risk of static charge/personal conductivity (from employee clothing etc.), including: • Test plates? • Earthing straps for use during dispensing flammable liquids?
37. Is the waste-holding area: • Built from non-combustible materials? • Sited 10-metres from the perimeter of any other buildings or work processes on the site? • Segregated from the quarantine area?
38. Have systems been put in place to maintain continuity of operations by making a suitable emergency plan?
39. Does the site’s emergency procedures, including information made available to the emergency services, include details of the location, volume and type of flammable substances present?