FPA: The UK is Europe’s fire safety slacker
According to the Fire Protection Association (FPA), UK industrial and commercial warehouses have to be bigger than 20,000m2 before sprinklers become mandatory. That is 10 times or more than the mandatory threshold size in Germany, Spain, Denmark and The Netherlands. France, a major food producer like the UK, requires sprinklers to be installed in warehouses over 3,000m2.
Simon Bird, associate director of the FPA, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: "In recent years we have seen a number of large fires at food industry facilities and, in the majority of these cases, it is our view that sprinkler protection would have made a very significant difference in terms of safety of occupants, reduction of economic loss, business continuity and preservation of jobs".
Fire-related losses top £865m
Dr James Glockling, technical director of the FPA, estimates that business losses in the UK for 2008 that were a result of fire topped £865m. In Germany, damage as a result of fire for the same period cost just £400m.
In a letter to The Department for Communities and Local Government, Glocking has suggested that an increased uptake of sprinklers, whether driven by regulation or voluntary uptake, would lead to reduced fire severity, reduced financial losses and improved business continuity. However, Bird has warned that, in the experience of the FPA, voluntary uptake is very limited.
Kevin Smith, divisional director of insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson, said that manufacturers could expect up to 50% discounts on their factory insurance bills if they installed approved sprinkler systems.
"Whilst it is seldom cost-effective to retro-fit sprinklers, there is a strong case for fitting these to new facilities or where major refurbishment work is being undertaken," he said.
