Bradley Markham clears up wireless alarm misconceptions, and why moving away from wired systems can be beneficial.
Fires on construction sites are a daily risk, therefore it’s important that construction companies have fire safety protocols in place in order to protect workers and their sites. Fire safety in the construction industry hasn’t always been taken seriously – 20 years ago, fire extinguishers and fire alarms weren’t a necessity, and there were no serious consequences for a company if fire safety and first aid equipment was not located on site.
However, since the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 20051 came into place, as well as continued efforts by the HSE and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, attitudes in the industry are slowly but surely starting to change. Tougher legislation has meant there has been a major shift in more companies taking preventative measures to protect workers to the highest health and safety standards.
This has also meant distributors of fire safety equipment have had to think about ways to ensure the products they are supplying are to the highest health and safety standards. The law in the UK now stipulates that every business must have an appropriate fire detection system in place, and failure to comply could lead to serious fines – or even worse, site closure, damaging the reputation of a business and stopping it in its tracks.
What’s more, improving health and safety standards could actually improve working conditions and worker efficiency. Of all the fire safety products on the market, reliable fire alarms are the critical first step in alerting people of the danger and saving lives in the event of a fire. Over the last five years, technology has truly pushed the construction industry to become a safer working environment, in particular the development of wireless technology.
Fire alarm evolution
Modern systems have come a long way since the days of watchmen ringing bells to warn the local community of fire. When Dr William F. Channing (supported by Moses G. Farmer) adapted the principle of the telegraph to develop the first citywide telegraph fire alarm system in Boston, USA in the 1850s, it was the start of a series of technological developments that would help protect property and save lives.
Channing and Farmer’s revolutionary fire alarm telegraph system enabled communication between a series of telegraph alarm boxes and a central alarm station. Each box had its own signal, enabling the central office to identify the location of the incident – though as the system was not automated, it relied on an individual to trigger the alarm to summon help.
Early experiments with heat and smoke detectors paved the way for automated fire alarm systems. The first smoke detector was invented by accident in the late 1930s when Swiss physicist Walter Jaeger was attempting to design a sensor that could identify poison gas. It was only when he lit a cigarette and the smoke triggered the alarm that he discovered his invention could detect smoke particles.
Jaeger’s accidental discovery ultimately led to the first commercially available smoke detectors. Large and expensive, they were first used in the 1950s to protect commercial and industrial property. As technology advanced, fire alarms soon became more commercially viable and suitable for residential use.
Wireless fire alarm systems first appeared in the 1990s, but the early technology experienced a few difficulties, mainly with battery life and radio transmission failures. Since then, technological advances have enabled fire alarm systems to work wirelessly and use a range of communication technology (such as cellular transmitters, private radio systems, and digital communicator systems) to send a fire alarm signal directly to the nearest fire and rescue service (FRS) to request firefighting support.
Why go wireless?
Although there is nothing wrong with traditional fire safety equipment, outdated hardwired fire alarms are costly to install. While a hardwired fire alarm system can take days or weeks to install, a wireless device can be set up in just minutes, thus providing a cost effective solution. This also ensures cables are minimised, therefore reducing slips, trips and falls on site.
The technology involved in modern wireless systems may be complex, but the concept is simple – automatic smoke or heat detectors trigger a response and sound an alarm to notify people of the danger. Using secure, licence-free radio communications to transmit information between sensors and detectors and the control panel, wireless fire alarms provide all the benefits of traditional wired fire alarm systems, but without the potentially hazardous cables.
When existing technology and devices become wireless, the functionality increases in leaps and bounds, and today fire, first aid and intruder alarm systems have become an integral part of modern life due to their flexibility, reliability, ease of installation and usability. Wireless alarms are particularly suited for construction sites and building complexes that are made up of multiple buildings.
In the case of temporary installations – for instance construction sites where the work is in progress – wireless fire alarms can be installed and then removed once the work on the site is finished, or moved to another site, providing a cost effective and flexible solution to companies. Some wireless alarm systems will also detect when an intruder passes the sensor, thus ensuring heightened site safety.
As false alarms can cost businesses and FRSs around £1b a year2, and loss of sales and time, wireless systems offer heaps of benefits to construction companies and a complete safety solution. Although the construction industry’s performance has improved over the past decade, the rates of death, serious injury and ill health for construction site workers are still too high, with the industry still having the highest number of injuries.
In 2017/18, 144 workers were killed due to fatal injuries, with 0.4 million working days lost in the construction sector between 2016/17 and 2017/183. Additionally, there are around 11 construction site fires every day4, and in a recent ten year period, statistics from insurance companies show that there were 108 major fires on construction sites, costing the insurers – and therefore costing construction companies – around £187.3m5.
Effective and safe
Fires and injuries are a real and ongoing risk – particularly in manual industries like construction – and health and safety managers need to be aware of new and innovative ways of safeguarding workers. The important thing is that we put preventative measures in place to protect businesses and the people that are at risk, no matter how small or large the risk or hazard.
Providing comprehensive fire safety protection through a fully linked network of detectors and call points, wireless fire alarms provide the most effective and safest solution for construction sites and workers.
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Bradley Markham is Product Development Director at Bull Products.
References
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, HM Government
- 'False fire alarms cost businesses one billion a year causing disruption and loss of productivity', PBC Today
- Workplace fatal injuries in Great Britain 2018, Health and Safety Executive
- Small Construction Sites, Fire Safety Advice Centre
- 'CPD: Fire prevention on construction sites', Construction Manager Magazine