![]() ![]() ![]() The FHA considers the severity of hazards in the area by evaluating the total risk of hazards in a given area. Fire Hazard Analyses and Fire Risk AssessmentsĪn FHA is a type of engineering analysis that is designed to describe the risk of fire present in an environment in both qualitative (descriptive) and quantitative (numeric) terms. These risk assessments, which are often legally required, are referred to as Fire Hazard Analyses (FHA) or Fire Risk Assessments (FRA). Minor amounts of flammable materials that would be considered acceptable in normal environments become unacceptable if placed in an environment that has an ignition source.īecause the amount of hazard (risk) that is created by an individual item is dependent on the environment which it exists within, fire hazards are typically analyzed from a “whole-workplace” or “whole-building” perspective. For example, in occupational environments that require the use of heat or flame, the use of non-fire resistant clothing would be considered hazardous. Taking this into account, a “fire hazard” can thus be understood as anything which significantly increases the likelihood of a fire occurring, intensifies a fire’s spread, or increases the potential harm a fire could cause.Īn item may also be considered a hazard in one context but be seen as non-hazardous in another, lower-risk environment. Our understanding of what counts as a fire hazard has changed over time-in general, societies around the world have become less tolerant of fire risks, and as such, far more conditions are seen as being hazardous or unsafe. This is because a facility's level of risk factors in both the probability that a fire will occur and the severity of the potential harm that could be caused by a fire if it did occur. For instance, an obstruction which impedes safe evacuation and a malfunctioning sprinkler system would both be considered fire hazards. It includes anything which impedes the function of fire protection material or equipment, as well as anything that inhibits fire safe behavior.
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