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Previous by Date: Subject: Fwd: [DCHAS-L] [NAOSMM] interesting read: science fire at St. Andrews Univ in Scotland Date: Saturday, February 16, 2019 at 12:56:57 PM Author: "Wilhelm, Monique" <mwilhelm**At_Symbol_Here**UMFLINT.EDU>

Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Fancy nails in the lab Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:50:46 +0000 Author: Dra. Clara Rosal’a çlvarez Ch‡vez

While we should all be thankful no one was seriously injured or even killed,
the article tends to miss highlighting that there were a number of things
that could have been done to avoid the problem. None are cheap nor easy but
they are well know and available for consideration.

Had the labs been sprinklered as required by NFPA -45 Fire Protection for
Laboratories Using Chemicals it is very doubtful that the fire would have
spread beyond the individual laboratory. (The NFPA 45 committee knows of no
case where a laboratory that followed NFPA 45 has ever lost more than the
room which was the scene of the fire. ) Had the laboratory been sealed as
NFPA also requires. water damage to lower floors should have been minimal.

It is wonderful no one was hurt but in 2019 the "textbook" response to a
fire involves a fire Blanket? I would have hoped it used an appropriate
extinguisher which also might well have prevented the spread of the fire.

The article is unclear as to what the fire spread to thus becoming such a
major catastrophe. NFPA 45 requires fire resistant building construction,
limits the type of flammable materials allowed in lab furnishings ,and
limits the total amount of flammable materials. All of these measures might
well have saved losing a building and holding the damage to just one
laboratory.

Many older laboratories, particularly in academia, are poorly constructed
from a fire safety perspective. It is sad that it takes something as
terrible as this fire to suggest that there are many steps that might be
taken before a catastrophe occurs to limit its extent and consequences. I
encourage anyone with an older laboratory to seriously consider getting an
assessment of their compliance with NFPA 45 and considering if some
(admittedly probably expensive) renovations might not be a very prudent
investment. Even if it takes some years to secure the funding and do the
work, it could avoid a similar problem - and even potential injuries or
fatalities -later.

Richard Palluzi
PE, CSP

Pilot plant and laboratory consulting, safety, design,reviews, and training
Linkedin Profile

Richard P Palluzi LLC
72 Summit Drive
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
rpalluzi**At_Symbol_Here**verizon.net
908-285-3782

-----Original Message-----
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety On
Behalf Of Wilhelm, Monique
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2019 12:57 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Fwd: [NAOSMM] interesting read: science fire at St.
Andrews Univ in Scotland

Very unteresting indeed

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

-------- Original message --------
From: Allison Koster
Date: 2/16/19 12:44 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: naosmm**At_Symbol_Here**listserv.rice.edu
Subject: [NAOSMM] interesting read: science fire at St. Andrews Univ in
Scotland

I'd read news about the fire early last week, but just now had a colleague
(who matriculated at St. Andrews) pass this along to me. A fascinating read,
especially about the -80 freezers.

https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/anatomy-of-a-fire/

Allison Koster
Concordia College
Moorhead, MN

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