Fire Safety Guidelines

10 Fire Safety Guidelines Environmental Health and Safety Prevent Prevention of fires in the workplace is the responsibility of all faculty, students and staff at Iowa State University. Although EH&S, Facilities Planning and Management (FP&M), and other agencies regularly inspect Iowa State University for fire safety, individuals and departments are better suited for identifying and mitigating potential fire hazards in day to day operations. Basic fire prevention involves separating the elements that contribute to combustion. Fuel, heat, and an oxidizer (typically oxygen in air) combine to create a sustained combustion chemical reaction Together, these four elements are represented by the fire tetrahedron. Below are some examples of each. Remember to keep storage of fuel and oxidizers to a minimum and away from the other elements. Always monitor operations to avoid excessive heat. Flammable and Combustible Materials Ignitable liquids generate vapors that burn. Vapors may travel significant distances before reaching a heat source, or build up in an enclosed space and cause an explosion. Minimizing the amount of fuel in your areas, and properly storing materials you have, are two important ways of preventing fires. Ignitable liquids are designated as flammable or combustible, depending on flash point and boiling point. Flammable and combustible materials are further designated as class I or class II. This is important as different storage rules apply to each class. Elements of Combustion • Oxygen • Fuel • Heat • Chemical Reaction

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