fire risk

Drafting of the fire risk assessment document UNI ISO 16732-1 and EN ISO 19353 (Machinery)

The risk assessment allows the employer, based on the indications of UNI ISO 16732-1 and EN ISO 19353 (Machinery), to take the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of workers and other people in the workplace. These measures include:
  • risk prevention
  • information for workers and other people present
  • worker training
  • technical-organizational measures, designed to implement the necessary provisions
The document must be periodically checked by the Employer and will be subject to revision following:
  1. structural adjustments
  2. plant adjustments
  3. new creations
  4. activation of construction sites inside buildings
  5. organizational and functional changes.
The fundamental criterion adopted in the risk assessment is the one based on the identification of the dangers relating to the different workplaces, in the analysis of the risk factors and in the estimation of the possible consequences.

The fire risk assessment considers:
a) the type of activity;
b) the materials stored and handled;
c) the equipment present in the workplace including furnishings;
d) the construction characteristics of the workplace including the covering materials;
e) the size and layout of the workplace;
f) the number of people present, whether employees or other persons, and their readiness to leave in the event of an emergency.

The evaluation is therefore divided into the following phases.
identification of any fire hazards such as easily combustible and flammable substances, ignition sources, situations that can determine the easy propagation of the fire; in particular, the following types of factors can be identified:
  1. combustible or flammable materials or substances: large quantities of paper materials, plastics and petroleum products, flammable liquids and vapours, flammable gases, explosive substances, flammable chemicals in combination with other substances that may be present, etc.;
  2. sources of ignition: open flames, sparks, electric arcs, high-temperature surfaces, electrostatic charges, electromagnetic fields, obsolete or non-compliant machinery, systems and equipment, etc.
  3. cross-cutting factors: highly seismic territory, proximity to other activities with high fire risk, incorrect working methods, lack of maintenance of machinery and systems, etc.
  4. identification of workers and other persons present in the workplace exposed to fire risks, paying particular attention to the maximum foreseeable crowding, the possible presence of occasional public, with external persons who are not aware of the workplaces and emergency procedures, but who are present during that particular event, disabled persons, workers whose activity is carried out in areas at specific fire risk or workers who carry out their activity in rooms or areas isolated from the rest of the workplace;
  5. elimination or reduction of fire hazards;
  6. assessment of residual fire risk;
  7. verification of the adequacy of existing safety measures or identification of any further provisions and measures necessary to eliminate or reduce residual fire risks.
  8. For example:
  • organize an efficient system of emergency routes and exits in compliance with what is indicated in Annex IV of Legislative Decree 81/08 and subsequent amendments11 and in UNI ISO 16732-1 / EN ISO 19353 (Machinery);
  • set up suitable measures to ensure rapid reporting of fires to all persons present in the workplace;
  • install fire extinguishing devices and automatic and/or manual extinguishing systems;
  • ensure that all fire-fighting vehicles, equipment and devices are maintained in perfect working order over time;
  • ensure that all emergency routes and exits are regularly checked in order to be constantly and perfectly usable in case of need;
  • ensure that all fire detection and alarm devices are subject to constant monitoring and periodic operational tests to ensure that they maintain adequate efficiency over time;
  • ensure that workers receive complete training and information on the fire risk related to the activity and specific tasks performed, on the prevention measures adopted in the workplace, on the location of escape routes, on the procedures to be adopted in the event of a fire, on the procedures for calling the bodies responsible for managing emergencies, etc.
The UNI ISO 16732-1:2020 standard provides the conceptual basis for fire risk assessment by stating THE PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE QUANTIFICATION AND INTERPRETATION OF FIRE-RELATED RISK. These fire risk principles apply to all fire-related phenomena and all end-use configurations, meaning that these principles can be applied to all types of fire scenarios.
Probability is the mathematical representation of uncertainty, and risk assessment is the form of fire safety analysis that most widely uses probabilities and therefore most widely addresses all types of uncertainty.
The risk assessment is preceded by two basic analyses:
• definition of a scenario, including the fire safety objectives to be met and the subjects of the fire risk assessment, and the related facts or assumptions; and
• identification of the various hazards to be assessed. A “hazard” is something that has the potential to cause harm.
Fire risk assessment topics include the design and control of any part of the built environment, such as buildings or other structures.
Fire risk assessment of a project consists of risk analysis, for example analysis of the expected frequency and severity of damage resulting from design choices, combined with an assessment of the acceptability of those risks.
Fire risk assessment can be used to support any decision relating to fire prevention or protection of new or existing built environments, such as buildings, where probabilistic aspects, such as the ignition of fire or the reliability of fire prevention measures, are important.
Fire risk assessment can also be used to determine code equivalent safety, to assess the cost-benefit balance of a proposal to reduce risk, or to examine acceptable risk for severe events.
Fire risk assessment can also be used to provide general guidance or to assist in the selection of scenarios and other elements of a deterministic analysis.

According to UNI ISO 16732-1 and EN ISO 19353 (Machinery) “In the risk assessment document the employer evaluates the level of fire risk of the workplace and, if applicable, of individual parts of the workplace itself, classifying this level in one of the following categories:

a) high risk level: workplaces or parts thereof, in which, due to the presence of particular highly flammable substances and/or local and/or operating conditions, there is a significant probability of fires developing with a high probability of flames spreading.
b) medium risk level: workplaces or parts thereof, in which flammable substances are present and/or local and/or operating conditions may favour the development of fires, but in which, in the event of a fire, the probability of its propagation is to be considered limited. For example, workplaces with medium fire risk are considered to be the activities listed in Annex I of Presidential Decree 151/2011.
c) low risk level: workplaces, or parts thereof, in which low-flammability substances are present and the local and operating conditions offer little possibility of the development of a fire and in which, in the event of a fire, the probability of its propagation is to be considered limited. In general, places that cannot be classified as medium or high risk, where, in general, flammable materials are present in limited quantities or poorly flammable substances and where the operating conditions offer limited possibility of a fire developing and of its possible propagation”.
Share by: