By Emily Newton, www.revolutionized.com
As businesses pursue increased output and efficiency, they must ensure this goal doesn’t conflict with safety. The coating industry, in particular, should prioritise workplace safety as it attempts to accomplish more without as many workers, especially regarding fire hazards.
While fire risks are not unique to coating facilities, these workplaces encounter more than many other industrial environments. Going beyond the basics to embrace advanced, tech-driven fire prevention methods can yield considerable improvements.
Why coating facilities must take fire protection seriously
Any organisation should take great caution to prevent fires, as there are roughly 423 workplace fires each week in the U.K. However, coating facilities face higher hazards than most.
Spraying paint and other chemicals naturally involves fine particulate matter. These particles increase the likelihood of a spark catching and spreading in the air, leading to sudden and damaging combustions. High heat in a workspace from nearby equipment can exacerbate the threat.
Some coatings also use a thermal application process. It takes high temperatures to melt materials into a sprayable substance, and this heat, in turn, raises the risks of a workplace fire.
Like many industrial businesses, coating practices often face workforce challenges, too. Consequently, these facilities try to accomplish more with fewer people, leading to rushed work and stressed employees. Such a combination, paired with the existing high combustion and flammability hazards, is a recipe for disaster.
Advanced fire protection methods for coating facilities
Thankfully, many coating businesses understand basic fire protection steps. However, it doesn’t hurt to go further. Embracing advanced hazard prevention and mitigation strategies will lead to a much lower likelihood of a dangerous incident.
Automate wherever possible
The first and most important measure is to automate error-prone or hazardous processes. Equipment misuse is the leading cause of fires in the U.K. by far, causing 7,452 incidents in 2022 alone. Such mistakes are not a threat if organisations remove the possibility of human error from the equation.
Robotic arms can automate many of the actual coating steps. Any particularly hazardous tasks, like handling hot materials or inspecting fire-prone systems, are also ideal automation targets. In addition to minimising human error, doing so will distance employees from dangerous areas.
Remember that robots are imperfect, too. Any automated system requires careful calibration and frequent inspection to ensure it delivers the accuracy and safety a facility needs. A faulty robot will be just as hazardous — if not more so — than a distracted or untrained employee.
Monitor fire hazards in real time
Coating facilities can also improve fire protection through the Internet of Things (IoT). Connected sensors have many applications in fire safety, but one of the most significant is the ability to monitor relevant hazards in real time.
IoT-connected heat and smoke sensors can alert employees when conditions suggest a fire may be imminent, highlighting the specific area in question. Similarly, air quality sensors can warn workers when there’s too much particulate matter in the air. Understanding these real-time conditions leads to safer work practices to avoid costly mistakes.
Ideally, early warnings will prevent fires by telling employees when to avoid certain tasks that may produce sparks in ignition-prone situations. When a fire does occur, though, IoT detection is still valuable. Smart fire response systems have minimised emergency response times and fire-related losses in the buildings that have already implemented them.
Optimise equipment maintenance
Predictive maintenance (PdM) is another helpful IoT application in fire prevention. PdM analyses IoT equipment sensor data for signs of wear and tear. This anomaly detection lets the technology predict failures before they occur, in turn stopping unexpected breakdowns that may exacerbate fire-related hazards.
Faulty machinery is the second most common cause of fires in the U.K., so better maintenance goes a long way. While PdM may seem expensive and complicated, it enables more proactive repairs and extended equipment life spans than what would be possible with other methods. The resulting efficiency and safety benefits will make up for the initial cost over time, too.
Coating facilities can maximise these benefits by first applying PdM to their most hazardous machines. Focusing on the equipment likeliest to produce fire risks will yield the greatest improvement in both safety and financial returns on investment.
Consider fire-resistant coating methods
Adopting a new coating process can also help by minimising the fire hazards a facility must manage to begin with. Moving away from thermal methods will dramatically reduce the risk of ignition or combustion.
Cold spraying uses high pressures to deliver material without needing to melt or otherwise heat it first. As a result, the working environment is less conducive to sparks, even though the amount of particulate matter in the air remains the same. Switching to less combustible coatings can produce similar improvements.
Coating itself can be a fire protection method. Covering the ground and other nearby surfaces in fire-resistant materials will make the workplace less likely to foster a fire. In the event that something does ignite, it won’t spread as well, making it easier to eliminate before it causes much damage.
Address long-term safety improvements with AI
Coating facilities that implement IoT solutions have a clearer path toward long-term safety gains, too. Over time, connected sensors will produce considerable data on the building, its workflows and any safety incidents. Analysing this data with artificial intelligence (AI) can reveal opportunities to improve businesses may miss otherwise.
AI can accurately assess fire safety measures within a single second with 97% accuracy. Using such tools to analyse a coating workflow makes it much easier to see where and how the facility can change to handle fire-related hazards more effectively.
The adjustments AI recommends may be subtle, but they can add up to considerable gains over time. Organisations planning on expanding their facilities or constructing new buildings have the most to gain from this measure, as they can use AI modelling to determine the safest workflow from the beginning.
Keep your employees safe from fire and combustion
Fire safety is essential for coating businesses. Given how high the risks are, it’s not enough to stick with basic protective measures. Organisations must embrace advanced fire protection to stay as safe as possible.
Better workplace safety leads to higher productivity, lower costs and fewer disruptions. Taking the time to invest in a safer future will benefit all involved.
