While many know that they need to keep their smoke control systems maintained, a lot of building owners or operators are not fully aware of the details of what this should entail.

The first question that comes up when discussing a water based cooling system, such as evaporative cooling, is always about its safety and in particular about the control of legionella bacteria. In this article we will explain what you should be looking at if you are considering such a system, illustrating with examples of our approach to ensure that our evaporative cooling systems are safe.

Getting smoke control systems right is essential in a building, since the system should, in the event of a serious fire, save lives.

But it is not simple.

There are two only two types of car park – those that have already been built and those that are yet to be built, but there are many options for both smoke control and smoke clearance in these.

Maintaining the right temperatures and hygienic environments in buildings where food production takes place is of the utmost importance. In bakeries, using the right climate control solution can also affect the quality of the final product greatly.

Whether you are a property manager, facilities manager or building owner, there are strict regulations put in place with regards to smoke control maintenance to ensure that your buildings are safe.

The review from Dame Judith Hackitt concluded that the current legislation regarding fire safety equipment in the UK is not fit for purpose and that it needs to improve. Learning the best that we can from other countries while avoiding their shortcomings would be a good start. 

Ensuring high productivity and staff comfort and safety shouldn’t have to cost you the earth. Why then, is it always difficult to keep energy bills at acceptable levels when temperatures soar in the summer?

What are the responsibilities of the ‘responsible person’ when it comes to smoke control maintenance?  

The Government has produced an important piece of advice that is only three pages long and will tell you all the essentials you need to know. You can read it here. 

Are your climate control systems really still fit for purpose when it comes to enhancing comfort and production levels in the hot summer months?

Did you know that evaporative cooling systems can help you ensure that the air your staff breathe inside your buildings is actually cleaner than the air outside of it?

If you didn’t, keep reading to find out how evaporative cooling units could help you create a healthier, more productive workplace year-round.

What are the health benefits that evaporative cooling offers your staff?

Between 2017 and 2018, there were 801 residential high-rise fires attended to across the UK, with 73 fatalities and many more casualties recorded as a result of smoke inhalation and other injury.

Properly functioning smoke control systems are integral in helping to keep terrible figures such as the above mentioned at a much lower rate.

How do properly functioning smoke control systems help reduce the effects of a fire in a residential tower block?

We are often asked the fundamental questions of what smoke control is, how it works and what the benefits are of installing it. As these are important for building owners, managers and fire safety engineers to understand, we’ve put together this post to help the responsible individuals better understand why smoke control is so vital to protecting life, stock and buildings.

So, let’s start at the beginning.

On February 8th, the catastrophic fire that engulfed Ocado’s Andover Customer Fulfillment Centre (CFC) finally came to an end, after four traumatic days.

As the fire raged on, 300 firefighters battled on at considerable personal risk, while over 100 residents in the area surrounding the 24,000 sq. metre warehouse were evacuated. 

Statistically, more than 40% of businesses do not survive the consequences of a major fire and Ocado has already started seeing the effects of this one on theirs. Since February 5th, Ocado shares have seen a 14% decrease and the company has started preparing for massive hits to sales as it struggles to fulfill orders. The Andover CFC processed around 30,000 orders for customers each week, which represents 10% of the entire business’ capacity.

Now the immediate danger is over, the question of why this happened must be investigated. Was the repeal of the Local Acts in 2012 a contributing factor?