Environmental Code of Practice on Halons

Hazard/Risk Analysis

1. Purpose

   The purpose of a hazard/risk analysis is to provide information on a fire protection installation with respect to:

   1. its identification;
   2. an assessment of its relevance (re: consistency with the owner's loss prevention policies); and
   3. an assessment of its efficiency (re: fire prevention and protection).

   It is the intent of this hazard/risk analysis to direct the attention on important aspects of fire prevention/protection. This analysis should not be interpreted as additional formats or forms to complete.

2. Design Considerations

   Employ "best available expertise" to guide this analysis, whether you rely on in-house technical experts or seek the advice of outside professionals, experienced in designing and installing fire protection systems.

   The existing halon system was originally installed to meet specific fire protection needs. Verify that these needs still exist. Determine if alternatives to halons could provide the same fire protection.

   Determine if an "automatic discharge" system is absolutely necessary. A manually activated system may be justifiable in a location which is physically staffed around the clock by fully trained operators and is equipped with early warning fire detection. Examples of such locations are process control rooms or military command-and-control facilities.

   2.1       For each asset being protected against fire damage:

   1. Determine the fire hazard(s) threatening the asset;
   2. identify all risks to human health that may be present, including the exposure to combustion products in a fire situation; and
   3. determine the value of the asset, in terms of costs of repair/replacement and down-time consequences.

   2.2       Assess the effectiveness and reliability of the existing installation in terms of:

   1. history of false alarms and/or discharges;
   2. any failure to detect fire or discharge when properly required; and
   3. changes to the protected asset and its physical environment from the time of initial installation.

   2.3       Determine if the protected area is capable of containing the extinguishing agent at the recommended concentration and for the required period of time. Repair any penetrations to the protected enclosure. Establish procedures to ensure the continued enclosure integrity.

   2.4       Identify conditions in the protected and adjacent areas that could activate fire detectors (false alarms) and trigger the discharge of the halon system under review. Relocation could appropriately alleviate the identified hazardous condition(s); critical equipment can be duplicated at a secondary location; and adjacent rooms could be upgraded to eliminate the hazardous condition(s).

   2.5       Compare the existing installation (fire detection, extinguishing system, control panels, etc.) to current design practices with respect to compliance with the latest codes and standards. Equipment, especially the means of detecting fire and initiating agent discharge, may require an upgrade to achieve optimum protection from false alarms.

   2.6       Evaluate alternatives to halons (see Appendix D). If it is determined that halons constitute the only acceptable extinguishing agent, ensure that the existing installation, including the hardware and the software, conform to current codes and standards in order to establish a minimum level of reliability.