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September 13, 2021
If you own a business, you know how devastating a fire can be. Not only do fires reduce profits by damaging property and equipment as well as increasing downtime, but they are a serious safety risk for you and your employees. And while not all fires are entirely preventable, there are many steps you can take to increase your chances of preventing fires and reacting quickly when one does occur.
August 24, 2021
Fire departments respond to more than one million fires each year in the United States alone. And while that number has been steadily decreasing since the 1970s, fires still present the potential for extremely hazardous situations whenever they occur. But while they all burn, not all fires are the same. In order to group fires—and the ways to extinguish them—fire professionals developed a system to classify fires.
December 8, 2020
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a clean agent is an electrically non-conducting, volatile, or gaseous fire extinguishant that does not leave a residue upon evaporation. A clean agent fire suppression system uses either a chemical or inert gas to suppress a fire at the inception stage before it can grow and is incredibly effective in extinguishing Class A, B, and C fires.
November 17, 2020
The fire suppression agent, Halon is still in use today; however, there is no new production of Halons. While Halon is considered a clean agent by The National Fire Protection Association because it’s electrically non-conducting and does not leave a residue, Halon has an extremely high potential for ozone depletion and contributes to global warming potential. On January 1, 1994, Halon production ceases in compliance with the Montreal Protocol and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The use of Halons has been reducing over the years, but there is still demand for it for specific applications.
November 9, 2020
Clean agent fire protection systems that use chemicals like FM200 and discharge as a gas are considered to be safe in normally occupied spaces. FM200 complies with NFPA Standard 2001: Standard for Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems, EPA SNAP Program (Significant New Alternative Policy), Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL), and Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC). FM200 is a clean and colorless agent that suppresses fires through heat absorption. It is electronically non-conductive, making it safe for sensitive equipment and leaving no residue behind minimizes the downtime after a fire incident.
June 10, 2020
Operations and maintenance are critical elements and a significant amount of the costs associated with a wind farm. Having a well-planned maintenance program will ensure wind turbines are running efficiently and at their highest capacity. Overall general maintenance, up-tower repairs, and down-tower remanufacturing processes help to reduce the total cost of energy production and extend the life expectancy of a wind turbine.
April 28, 2020
Fire in wind turbines is the second most common type of accident reported after blade failure. While certain types of wind turbines have a higher occurrence rate of fire, all wind turbines have fire risk factors. Within the nacelle, highly flammable materials including, hydraulic oil and plastics, are located near electrical wiring and equipment. A fire can quickly start and spread if there is an ignition source like an electrical arc or a fault within the transformer.
December 16, 2019
Most experienced machinists have seen at least one fire on the job. Cutting metals at high speeds creates plenty of opportunities for sparks to ignite flammable materials. Many fires in machine shops are preventable, either by minimizing sparks or making sure they do not ignite flammable materials. But mistakes can happen. Our analysis of 24 fires in machine shops shows that one mistake, in particular, causes almost 30% of all fires.
November 7, 2019
You may be aware that 37 countries have signed on to adopt the UNECE R107 regulation. This rule is intended to make bus transport safer by reducing the risk of catastrophic bus engine fires. When a bus fire starts in an engine, the driver and passengers often don’t realize the danger until the fire has already grown very large. That’s why UNECE R107 requires installation of automatic fire suppression systems in bus engines.
October 7, 2019
Adding automation to your machine shop will not just increase your overall productivity, it will help keep employees engaged. Using automation for repetitive and monotonous tasks, allows your workers to use their skills on larger, more important projects.
October 1, 2019
Your response to a fire disaster is crucial in minimizing downtime and getting operations back up and running as quickly as possible. Downtime, as well as repair and replacement costs, rapidly add up. Learn three key guidelines to help you return to normal operations following a fire.
September 24, 2019
Modern Machine Shop’s “Top Shops” program uses data collected from surveying machine shops of all types and size. The information is compiled to determine the top-performing shops and outlines best practices and key metrics for success. This benchmarking data offers actionable intel to compare your machine shop to the country’s leading machining businesses.
