Your Job (1960s)

[Music] the fire that you are watching now is one of almost 50,000 industrial fires last year do you know that fire injures thousands of people every year people like you and me and that countless jobs and millions of dollars of wages are lost every year fire is not a mystery because we know the causes of fires yet they happen they happen because most people are really not interested in fire prevention not interested that is until fire strikes [Music] them fire cares not who it strikes or where it strikes it makes little difference where you work whether in a new one or twostory building or an older multi-story building or the industry or business involved fire prevention is not a new subject fire protection authorities have pleaded with us for years to learn and practice it but still people go about in their daily lives unthinking careless causing fires where do we start what do we have to do to save our jobs and our lives cooperation between management employees and the local fire department is one of the best ways to prevent fires it's people being involved in fire prevention many industrial plants and shopping centers have organized Fire brigades and Fire Prevention programs to promote fire safety practices throughout the company premises to instruct and train all Personnel to effectively fight and control fires and to help in evacuation if necessary the primary objective of a fire safety program is to prevent fires to keep your plant operating and to assure your safety and your job in the smaller industrial plants or other occupancies where there is no full-time safety or fire prevention officer the local fire department is usually happy to give instruction and periodic drills cooperation with your fire department will serve a purpose the fire prevention officer will give you the latest fire safety information such as new techniques and methods of handling hazardous materials and you can keep your fire department up to date on new materials you handle that might be hazardous or new processes or storage Arrangements that they might need to be aware of in case of fire [Music] keep your work area clean and orderly this is one of the best ways to prevent fires poor housekeeping can create hazards hazards that can cause fires and injure people like you and me look at your work area is it littered with rubbish unused materials accumulations of dusts oil drippings or other job wastes keep covered metal trash containers nearby and use them to keep your area free from waste combustibles if you don't you may be providing fuel to start a serious fire are you really familiar with the area you work in do you know where the nearest fire alarm box telephone and fire extinguisher is located if a fire started and quickly cut off your usual means of exit how would you get out you must know two separate ways of getting out of your building for your own safety and the safety of others you should never block aisles leading to [Music] exits at the end of your workday you should spend an extra minute or two and check to see that all electrical and heating equipment is shut off or otherwise properly set for the night that all your rubbish is in proper containers and that your cigarett are out start and end each day with your work area free of potential hazards this is a good way to ensure that your job will be there tomorrow one of the most frequent fire causes is careless smoking a burning cigarette or Sparks can touch off flammable liquid Vapors or certain kinds of dust lint or other materials if you must smoke at work you must observe the no smoking areas no smoking signs are posted for a good reason your safety and to guard against fire dangers to property and possible loss of your job from fire a trash container should never be used as an ashtray put out your smoking materials in a fire safe receptacle and make sure your matches are out for many of us the edge of the workbench window sill carton top or desk is a convenient spot to place a cigarette one of these times that cigarette is going to roll off unnoticed onto some waiting combustible material if you must smoke do so only in an area where it is permitted and use proper ashtrays temporary wiring or extension cords are an invitation to fire electric cord should never be hung over Nails wrapped around metal pipes placed near heat sources laid in moisture or oil they should never be laid or hung over passageways where they might be stepped on driven over or run into loose connections broken plugs defective switches or Outlets these are fire danger signs always report any electrical equipment in need of repair numerous fires have been caused when unprotected lamps or drop lights have broken and the Sparks from the exposed filament have ignited Vapors dust or other materials if you work in an area where flammable liquid Vapors or gases are present make sure that you are using explosion proof electrical equipment specially designed for use in hazardous areas unseen Vapors from gasoline Benzene nather and other flammable liquids can ignite explosively if you work with flammable liquids don't give the a chance to accumulate when positive ventilation is used the fans must be a type designed for hazardous areas when you transfer flammable liquids from Storage drums to safety containers An approved pump or spring loaded safety foret should be used the container should be electrically bonded to the drum clean up spill liquids immediately on large flammable liquid spills notify your fire department for some of us gasoline has served as a good cleaning solvent gasoline is not a cleaning solvent it's a fuel it's made to burn in an engine don't take chances with it the proper storage of flammable liquids is most important large amounts of flammable liquids must be kept in metal storage cabinets or specially designed rooms these rooms should be well ventilated and free from all other combustible materials keep only small amounts of flammable liquids at your work area when needed keep them in clearly labeled listed or approved safety containers oil soaked rags and wiping cloths are an invitation to fire keep them in a covered metal container until they are cleaned or disposed of sometimes several sources of heat are present heat for Comfort heat that we use for power molding baking drying distilling and chemical reactions always store combustibles away from any source of heat that might be adequate to ignite the combustibles or initiate a chemical reaction careless use of cutting or welding equipment has caused thousands of fires and always presents a potential danger the acetylene torch can produce a 6,000 de f flame if there are combustibles nearby either move the job away to a safe area move the combustibles away or protect them with fire resistant covers be certain that the area has been inspected and the work approved by supervisory Personnel before beginning a cutting or welding job hot slag and Sparks especially from cutting operations can travel many feet or through openings or cracks if you are working with cutting or welding equipment near walls ceilings or floors that have openings cover the openings a Charged water hose or fire extinguisher should be ready at hand and a firat station to observe the Sparks and globules of hot metal and promptly extinguish fires in any combustibles that are accidentally ignited pipes or other metal objects can conduct heat over a distance starting a fire out of sight check nearby areas and keep watch after the job is done and until the work has cooled sufficiently Extreme Caution must be observed when working near equipment or containers holding flammable liquids gases Vapors or dusts special fire precautions will be needed on this type of job possibly including provision of an instrument to check for Dangerous concentrations of flamm gases or Vapors if in doubt call your fire department for advice before starting the job friction produced Sparks and heat are also causes of fires your work area must be free of flammable Vapors or dust before using grinding or spark producing equipment overloaded or sparking Motors overheated bearings slipping belts and pulleys should be given immediate attention if you operate a machine or other equipment and it is not in proper operating order report it immediately don't minimize fire prevention for production a fire can stop all production for a long time or permanently if you work at a special process involving materials that are hazardous you must know what the potential hazards are and how to minimize them for instance if you work with Metals such as magnesium or magnesium Alloys you should know that you never use water to extinguish a fire involving these materials use an extinguisher designed for use on Class D fires do you know what class A B C and D fires are they are the four recognized types of fires portable fire extinguishers of current manufacturer bear a series of markings so one may quickly be identified for the particular class of fire on which it may be used Class A fires involve ordinary combustibles such as wood cloth paper Rubber and many Plastics these fires are best controlled by the cooling effect of water water solutions or the effects of certain dry chemicals that interrupt the combustion process the proper extinguisher for a Class A fire is identified by the letter a in a green triangle Class B fires are those involving oil gasoline grease paint or other flammable liquids these fires are best controlled by cutting off the supply of air or Oxygen by use of carbon dioxide dry chemicals or foam the extinguisher is marked by the letter B in a red square Class C Fires involve electrical equipment the use of electrically non-conducting extinguishing agents such as carbon dioxide or dry chemicals is required to safely control this type of fire an extinguisher for use on Class C Fires is marked by the letter C in a blue circle class D fires involve certain combustible Metals such as magnesium titanium zirconium sodium and potassium and require a blanketing heat absorbing special extinguishing agent that is not chemically reactive with the burning metal the proper extinguisher is identified by the letter D in a yellow star some portable extinguishers are suitable for use on more than one class of fire these extinguishers are marked for each class of fire on which they may be used know where the extinguisher is in your work area read the label and most important know how to use it if you don't then have someone show you if you use an extinguisher never place it back on the rack or hanger regardless of how small the amount used it must be refilled or replaced immediately notify your supervisor many factories Office Buildings Industrial Park areas and shopping centers have automatic sprinkler systems this is a system of overhead piping having frequently spaced discharge devices called sprinklers or sprinkler heads except for systems designed for special occupancies the sprinkler heads are normally closed and are designed to open at a predetermined temperature and discharge water so is to completely cover the area of the fire to ensure that the discharge of water is not obstructed stock piles and racks must be at least 18 in below the sprinkler heads the 130 fires a day that occur in factories and Industrial plants cause the loss of thousands of jobs and most important people are injured and lives are lost this is why you should know what to do if a fire occurs taking the correct action during the first few minutes of a fire can mean the difference between a small fire extinguished with little damage or a disaster where is the nearest fire alarm box to your work area do you know how to operate it if you are not certain that you know how have someone show you fire alarm boxes on public streets send an alarm directly to the fire department when a box is pulled be sure that someone stays at the box to show the firefighters where the fire is many fire alarm boxes or pool stations in Plants shopping centers and other properties activate only the alarms on the property and do not transmit the alarm directly to the fire department in this case it is the responsibility of the security Personnel or responsible Department to notify the local fire department if there are no fire alarm boxes available it will be necessary for you to notify the fire department by telephone immediately give them the exact location of the fire the type of fire injuries or persons trapped if known if a fire occurs and you are able to do so safely check to see that doors are closed in your area it will slow down the spread of the fire fire and smoke do you know where the fire extinguishers are located do you know what type of extinguisher to use and do you know how to use it do you know where the standpipe hose is located and how to use it remember all the hose must be completely removed from the rack before the water is turned on kinks in the hose will restrict the water flow to ensure a maximum and sufficient water supply open the valve all the way and see that all kinks in the line are removed when you leave a burning building the following procedure is recommended and should be included in periodic drills stop work shut off power fuel supplies and machines Place stools or other obstacles out of the aisles do not take time to get your clothes pocketbooks or other personal belongings but go directly in an orderly manner to the nearest exit from your area close doors to the fire area on Route if possible in the event of a fire regardless of its size do not use the elevators use the nearest exit stairways elevators may be deactivated by a fire causing anyone inside to be trapped or they may automatically stop and doors open at a floor involved in fire don't run don't lag don't shout leave the building immediately and once outside the building go to a safe designated area stay outside the building until the fire department determines that it is safe for you to return a good fire exit plan calls for a systematic accounting for all persons who were in the fire area by meeting in a predetermined location outside the building there is no excuse for having almost 50,000 industrial fires a year most of these fires can be prevented by you and me the daily practice of fire prevention and your knowing what to do if a fire occurs can save your job or your life [Music] the [Music]