Guidance table for fire controls in waste & resource recovery facilities
OVERVIEW
The rising incidence of fires in resource recovery facilities across Australia reveals both a growing problem and the industry’s limited capacity to manage fires where there are gaps or inconsistencies in the guidance available.
The written guidance that does exist is often not collated in a useful form that reflects the challenges faced by different types of facilities, preventing authorised officers from providing consistent and relevant guidance on reasonably practicable fire controls.
KEY INFO
| Location: | Victoria |
| Stakeholders: |
EPA Victoria DEECA |
| Solutions: | Guidance table for fire controls |
THE BRIEF
Urban EP was engaged to prepare an authoritative table on reasonably practicable fire controls for resource recovery facilities, to help EPA Victoria, WorkSafe Victoria, Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and councils guide Duty Holders on measures to prevent and mitigate the impacts of fires on their premises.
Urban EP was requested to:
Review Victorian, national and international literature on the effectiveness of different fire controls to prevent and manage fires in waste and resource recovery facilities.
Interview internal experts at EPA Victoria, WorkSafe Victoria and FRV on challenges faced by Duty Holders and the effectiveness of different fire controls, and to gain feedback on project methods and outputs.
Design, structure and prepare a table (spreadsheet) proposing suitable fire controls, to enable authorised officers to engage with Duty Holders on their responsibilities to implement and maintain fire controls, according to the types of materials received, processed, handled and stored at their facility.
Prepare an accompanying report to assist authorised officers in using the fire controls table and updating it in response to emerging fire risks and commercially maturing fire controls, while setting out key findings from literature analysis and interviews.
THE RESULTS
Urban EP delivered:
A fire controls guidance table structured with advice specific to seven different types of resource recovery facilities including materials recovery facilities, warehouses, niche processing facilities, auto and scrap metal recyclers, and construction & demolition waste recovery facilities.
Detailed descriptions of workflows and the transit of materials through each type of facility, and the key sources of fire risk (ignition, spread and potential impact) pertaining to each facility type.
Recommended fire controls for each type of facility matched to material flows and operations: including prevention and mitigation controls, and engineering, lay out and administrative controls, and guidance as to their cost and effectiveness for Duty Holders’ consideration.
Specific fire control guidance for different types of combustible end of life products and materials including vehicles, lithium ion batteries, e-waste, and other items; with additional guidance on emerging controls to address the rising challenge of fires caused by end of life batteries.
DEECA, EPA Victoria and other agencies were clear in their satisfaction with the completed fire controls table, and confirmed that it would be highly effective in engaging with Duty Holders while supporting the agencies in developing consistent, accurate and up to date guidance.