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Posts Tagged ‘fire extinguishers’

Prevent Flammable Liquids, Gases And Electrical Fires By Using A C02 Extinguisher

November 30th, 2009 Matthew Kerridge No comments

C02 extinguishers are filled with carbon dioxide. They are made for putting out fires which are electrical or involve burning liquids or gases. The C02 is under very high pressure and when it releases rapidly, it may even shoot out bits of dry ice which is frozen carbon dioxide.

Cylinders used for c02 extinguishers may be as small as five pounds. They sometimes are over 100 pounds in weight. These larger extinguishers will have a very long hose which has a hard horn attached at the end. In the case of the larger extinguishers, the cylinder will remain stationary while the hose is pulled to the fire.

For a fire to burn, there are three necessary elements. These are heat, fuel and oxygen. If you can remove one or more of the elements for the fire will stop burning. C02 extinguishers work to remove two of the elements. The carbon dioxide removes the available oxygen and also cools the blaze. For many fires this is an effective way to stop the fire.

However, these extinguishers do not work well on most common fires. When the fuel is wood, paper, rubber or plastic, the fuel may continue to smolder under the surface and can reignite in a very short time when the c02 has been dispersed and oxygen is allowed back into the area. You will need to use a type A extinguisher for these type fires.

In the US, carbon dioxide extinguishers are labeled as type BC. In the UK or Australia, they are labeled as type BCE. The B in the US stands for either liquid or gas fires. In the UK system these fires are further broken down into type B which is liquids and type C which is gases. Type C in the US stands for an electrical fire, but this fire is classified as a type E fire.

Carbon dioxide extinguishers are used in flammable storage areas, laboratories, kitchens or mechanical rooms. These extinguishers are easily distinguished from others by their lack of a pressure gauge. If you need a multi-purpose extinguisher for home use, you will prefer a type ABC fire extinguisher.

Never use water on these fires. C02 is the safest way to put them out. On liquid or gas fires, water can spread the flames while electrical fires pose the hazard of an electrical shock or even electrocution. For the safety of personnel or fire fighters, the extinguisher is the safest way to put out these fires.

Matthew Kerridge is an expert in home systems. If you want further information about varieties of CO2 extinguisher or are searching for a reputable fire extinguisher company please visit http://www.adt.co.uk

Why No One Will Ever Be Excited About Workplace Safety

October 16th, 2009 Michael Bertin No comments

Employees Get Used to Everything

We’ve heard people talk on safety in the workplace a million times. The words have become so obvious and average that they often hold no fundamental value for us anymore. They’re simply a general concept, a vague sense about not screwing up too terribly while on the job.

It’s sad that this is how it goes, but there isn’t a ton to be done about it: being safe isn’t the most dynamic thing in the workplace. But that’s the idea in the first place”it only must be there, in the culture of any company, so common that it’s not often noted.

In reality, it doesn’t usually function like this. Far too many organizations and their workers put a very small focus on safety in the workplace, blissfully working away until the worst takes place, and a bad on-the-job injury causes a full-scale review of safety precautions.

Peruse a Small Tale

Consider two of your co-workers attending a first aid program. They’re somewhat excited, sure”but it’s pretty much expected the course will last three entire work days, and will likely be six hours per day. For the majority, training like this frequently end up being an extended course in attempting to remain awake, no matter how important the info can be.

One of the fundamental concerns is that first aid training can’t safely be made ‘exciting’. It needs to be explained fully and with a kind of gravitas, or it won’t be taken seriously. While it might not be taken seriously in any case, anyone running a first aid session doesn’t actually have time to begin with innovation and rendering the coursework more ‘exciting’.

Explaining That Mode of Thinking

There are dozens of explanations for why this thinking can overtake an organization and its employees”but the primary one is basic routine. When safety problems don’t take place on the job, it’s simple to forget them, and any attempts to remind people about good safety habits can seem like an effort, an unnecessary note of fussiness for something insignificant.

This is normal in any business. Routine just happens, and fundamental training that are presented with prevention at the forefront”take for example, a first-aid course”ask for a disciplined managerial team and an office committed to safety.

Fight workplace Complacency!

Don’t display boring DVDs and annoy your employees. Do the following: track down a solid supplier of safety materials, make sure everything is current, and then admit the truth.

Swing extra pluses to employees who are willing to undertake first-aid training. Make sure your safety peripherals are up-to-date, simple, and well-supported by the safety company. Proffer safety courses and help that employees will profit from outside the work environment as well, so the courses are not solely for work, but will serve your employees forever.

People get that safety training is often a tiresome area to appreciate. If you are straight about this fact from the start, but remain clear that it’s crucial”that not being up on safety rules can bring large financial problems should a work-environment accident takes place, affecting profits, employment, your people will understand and be grateful.

Be sure you have the best safety equipment in your company to ensure the safety of people.