Why facilities professionals are on the front line of fire risk mitigation

When keeping buildings safe for the people who inhabit them, we all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

The occupancy phase of a building’s usable life will last many decades, and it is beholden to those that look after these places and spaces to make sure that we’re minimising risk of fire now and in the future. 

The fire at Union Corner in Glasgow on 8 March is a call to action for how we look at the storage and disposal of waste, especially devices with batteries in them.

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, head of policy and research at the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM).

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service investigation into the cause is still ongoing, but it looks likely that the vape shop, with its attendant amount of battery-powered items, was a major contributor to the spread and intensity of the blaze. 

This highlights a key issue: the storage and disposal of e-waste such as vapes, wireless headphones and other semi-disposable or end-of-life items that use lithium-ion batteries presents an increased risk of fire and acceleration of fire in our buildings.

Indeed, there’s a wider conversation here about waste management more broadly. Facilities managers and their colleagues hold the pen on decisions around waste categorisation, handling and disposal. 

Practical steps facilities managers can take to minimise waste fire risk 

By thoughtfully applying the waste hierarchy, we can minimise the amount of waste going to landfill or even being disposed of in the first instance. This is the first way we can minimise fire risk – through minimising what actually gets thrown out. 

By thoughtfully applying the waste hierarchy, we can minimise the amount of waste going to landfill. Photograph: iStock

Secondly, there is the wider consideration of where we situate our waste disposal and storage. IWFM’s recently published Waste Management Guidance highlights how the materials we choose for bins, and their positioning, can increase fire risk.

It notes that “plastic bins, particularly where there is public access, can be fire hazards from cigarette butts or from deliberately being set alight”. Given this summer’s run of heatwaves and extended dry periods, the risk of a fire establishing itself and spreading from this combustion source is also increased. 

And finally, coming back to the story I opened with, facilities managers are essential in “ensuring that items which may cause fire – including lithium-ion batteries, vapes, and any other item with a cable, plug or hidden battery – are not disposed of in the general waste”.

We’re making great strides toward safer buildings, with more rigorous approval and scrutiny of their design and materials usage. Facilities managers need to ensure this great effort is not undone and think seriously about what goes into our workplaces and spaces, and how we handle waste in and around those buildings. 

For information and advice from the IWFM, see:
iwfm.org.uk
linkedin.com/company/iwfm/
@IWFM_UK

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton is head of policy and research at the
Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM)