Fire Safety Standards for Factories Today (Illustrative Image)

- Have a firefighting plan approved by the competent authority

- Electrical systems, anti-static, lightning protection, electrical, thermal, and ignition devices, the use of heat sources, and fire sources ensure firefighting safety in accordance with standards, fire safety standards, or regulations of the Ministry of Public Security.

- Have a transportation system, communication system for firefighting, water supply system, firefighting database management system, incident reporting system, fire alarm system, firefighting, fire prevention, smoke prevention, and evacuation, other firefighting equipment, rescue vehicles ensure the quantity and quality, comply with standards, fire safety standards, or regulations of the Ministry of Public Security.

- Have a design approval certificate, design approval document (if any), and approval document for the firefighting acceptance test results from the firefighting police agency for the factory.

1.2. Fire Safety Conditions for Fire Safety Standards for High-rise Workshops, Steel Frame, and Tin Roof Workshops

For empty steel frame and tin roof workshops with an area exceeding the compartmentalized fire area, they must meet the following conditions

- Have provisions for fire containment through construction structures/firefighting systems.

- Have solutions to increase the fire resistance limit of main construction components according to the regulations of fire safety standards or technical standards for firefighting to limit the risk of collapse during a fire.

1.3. Fire Safety Standards when Establishing Projects and Designing Workshop Construction

According to Article 11 of Decree No. 136/2020/ND-CP, which stipulates requirements for firefighting when establishing new construction projects/reconstruction/change of use of works, the following must be ensured

- The construction site must ensure a safe distance for firefighting for surrounding buildings.

- The fire resistance level of the workshop must be suitable for the scale and nature of its activities; there must be solutions to prevent and control the spread of fire between workshop components and between the workshop and other structures.

- The production technology, electrical system, lightning protection system, explosion-proof system, anti-static system of the workshop, and the arrangement of technical systems, materials, and equipment must meet firefighting safety requirements.

- Evacuation routes and exits, lighting equipment, signaling devices, emergency guidance; smoke exhaust ventilation; rescue vehicles must ensure quick and safe evacuation.

- The transportation system and parking lots serving firefighting vehicles must meet the size and load requirements of the vehicles; the water supply system must meet the requirements for firefighting service.

- Fire alarm systems, firefighting equipment, and other firefighting vehicles must ensure sufficient quantity; installation locations and technical specifications must be suitable for the characteristics and activities of the workshop.

 1.4. Regulations on Design and Approval of Fire Safety for Workshops

Many small workshops only need to comply with standard fire safety regulations without requiring design and approval of firefighting designs.

However, for workshops with a volume of 3,000m3 or more, this is a mandatory requirement (based on Appendix V - List of projects, works, and motor vehicles subject to design approval for firefighting issued together with Decree No. 136/2020/ND-CP).

Regulations on Design and Approval of Fire Safety for Workshops (Illustrative Image)

According to Clause 4, Article 13 of Decree No. 136/2020/ND-CP, the dossier requesting approval of firefighting design includes:

- A letter requesting review and comments, and clearance of firefighting from the investor, if delegated, there must be a valid delegation document.

- Decision approving investment policy (for workshops using public investment capital).

- Document approving investment policy for construction/Investment registration certificate (if any)/Certificate of land use rights/Legal document proving land use rights (for workshops using other capital sources).

- Confirmation of firefighting business qualifications of the design unit and design justification, which reflects firefighting solutions.

2. Causes of Fire and Explosion in Workshops

There are several factors that can cause fires and explosions in workshops, such as:

- Combustible materials: Workshops often contain combustible materials such as paper, wood, fabric, oils, which can quickly ignite and spread when exposed to heat sources.

- Chemical materials and products, such as: oil, gasoline, flammable liquids, oxygen-containing substances,...

- Electrical systems: Unsafe or overloaded electrical systems in workshops, damaged/cut wires can generate sparks that cause fires.

- Equipment and machinery such as engines, pumps, fuel systems, compressors,... can catch fire or explode if faulty or improperly maintained.

- Welding, metal cutting: These activities generate high heat and sparks, which can easily cause fires and explosions without proper safety measures.

- Human errors, such as smoking, using open flames, carelessness, failure to comply with firefighting safety rules.

Source: luatvietnam.vn