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Avoiding alarm failure: upgrading obsolete alarm systems

When the fire at the Kader Toy factory in Thailand began in May 1993, it heralded the start of the world’s worst industrial fire, where 188 workers died and over 500 were seriously injured. Subsequent investigations found the failure of the factory’s fire alarm systems was the principal cause behind the tragedy. Despite disasters like this, an alarming number of obsolete industrial alarm systems remain in use today, and it is vital that plant managers don’t delay in upgrading obsolete alarm systems.

 

All industrial or manufacturing facilities should have up-to-date alarm systems because even the slightest changes in temperature, flow or environment can damage the production process and lead to costly downtime. Chemical processing, for example, requires critically controlled temperature and humidity levels, so the slightest variation can result in defective products or outputs, damage to equipment, and can crucially halt production altogether. Having a fully functional, operational alarm monitoring system is therefore essential, no matter the industry.

The regulatory landscape

In Australia, dangerous materials are covered by several regulations concerning issues like exposure and contamination limits and occupational health and safety. Furthermore, because Australia’s legislative system operates at a federal level, each territory is responsible for regulating and enforcing these regulations independently. Materials classified as dangerous include those that are toxic, flammable or explosive. While the risk posed by these materials can never be entirely removed in an industrial environment, international standards, such as IEC 61508, which is used in Australia, seek to make the risk “as low as reasonably practicable” (ALARP). In UK and New Zealand health and safety law, this is equivalent to the principle of “so far as is reasonably practicable” (SFAIRP). To this end, all non-tolerable risks must be removed from the work environment to the point where it is demonstrable that the cost involved in reducing the risk further would be disproportionate to the safety benefits achieved.

The fire and security alarm installation services industry is responsible for installing and servicing fire alarms and fire prevention and suppression systems in Australia. The alarm installation services industry in Australia is estimated to be worth approximately $4 billion. Over the next five years, the size of the industry is expected to contract sharply in the short term because of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It is predicted that, once the pandemic comes to an end, the market will make a strong recovery. This forecasted growth is based on the increased demand for engineering infrastructure, specifically from the heavy investments in transport infrastructure and renewable energy generation facilities. As industrial facilities see widespread investment after the pandemic, it is vital that businesses do not overlook physical alarm systems in favour of cheaper alternatives.

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