Preparing for the great escape

The changing nature of risk facing industrial buildings demands new ways of thinking about evacuation strategy.

For many decades, the primary safety risk was fire, but the scope is expanding. More modern threats such as industrial disasters, chemical releases, extreme weather, terrorism, social activism and crime should also be kept in mind as potential evacuation triggers.

The world is less secure and we must adapt to this changing landscape.

Not only are there legal and regulatory consequences to contemplate, but also financial damage relating to repairs, insurance costs and lost business.

Current guidance suggests three minutes as the maximum time in which an evacuation should be completed.

However, the solution is not always straightforward in an increasingly urbanised world. Escape routes are becoming more complicated in environments such as manufacturing facilities.

Tech support

Evacuation within the accepted limit is reliant upon swift and accurate detection of danger, fast and reliable notification of occupants and the orderly use of predetermined exit routes.

Technology has a vital role in this. For instance, conventional and addressable fire systems, combining detection and notification, are a proven technology, but the important point is that these are not ‘fit and forget’ solutions.

A regular programme of maintenance and testing is vital to ensure systems are ready for activation in the heat of the moment.

Traditionally a manually-intensive and costly task, these maintenance regimes are increasingly supported by technology that monitors the health of systems automatically.

This applies not only to fire systems but also to emergency lighting.

In industrial environments where staff and visitors may be in close proximity to hazardous machinery or substances, the risks relating to a power blackout are significantly amplified, making the installation and maintenance of emergency luminaires an important priority.

However, it’s not only important to ensure emergency lights are working properly, but also that they emit a sufficient level of illumination.

Regulators in advanced economies are increasingly prescriptive about light levels in critical areas and along exit routes.

Exit routes should be made apparent by illuminated signage and emergency lighting, which are designed to help occupants of industrial buildings find their way out in the event of power being cut.

Research into the behaviour of evacuees in an emergency underlines the importance of exit signs being highly visible, correctly positioned and properly maintained.

An emerging area of research is dynamic sign technology that is more responsive to a given hazard and provides evacuation guidance accordingly.

Rather than static exit signs that, in some cases, may in fact lead building occupants towards a dangerous area rather than away from it, a dynamic system modifies its response in relation to the particular conditions that have been detected.

Such systems are now being integrated with emergency lighting and even security doors to ensure occupants follow the most appropriate evacuation route in a given situation.

Meanwhile, beyond the confines of a single building, professionals on larger sites are increasingly adopting massnotification systems.

Large manufacturing facilities, for example, require managers to consider multiple buildings and outdoor spaces containing large numbers of people.

Here, the flexibility offered by real-time voice alerts is of paramount importance but, capitalising on the capabilities of modern communication technologies, it is possible for alerts to be distributed directly to the mobile devices of people in the vicinity.

Changing landscape

The scale, usage, intensity and complexity of industrial buildings continue to evolve, along with the diversity of risks they may face.

However, in an emergency, the imperative to evacuate occupants as quickly and as safely as possible remains the same.

To meet this challenge, technology and equipment are being developed and it is incumbent upon safety officials to work with trusted partners to identify the most suitable and effective solutions for a given facility.