Accord on Fire and Building Safety, the platform of EU buyers and brands, has developed a fire safety manual for the existing readymade garment buildings suggesting installation of automatic fire alarm and sprinkler systems. The manual, revealed on Tuesday, suggested for creating fire compartments using fire resistant walls and floors, providing at least two exits and ensuring the exits free from smoke and fire by requiring fire barriers around the exit stairs but locks were not permitted on the exits.
In the manual the Accord emphasised on fire prevention, early warning of the fire, containment of the fire and safe exits.
According to the manual, for any storey with only two exits, the maximum occupant load should not exceed 500 people and for three exits, the maximum occupant load should not exceed 1,000 people.
‘In buildings without automatic sprinkler protection, exits must be separated by at least 1/2 the diagonal dimension of the room and the buildings equipped with automatic sprinkler protection exits in each room should be separated by at least 1/3 of the diagonal dimension of the room,’ the Accord manual said.
Exit doors of the buildings must not be equipped with locking hardware and it should be possible to open any designated exit door using a single motion, without the use of a key, tool, or special knowledge, the Accord manual suggested.
The manual set the maximum travel distance to reach an exit from any point in the building at 45 meters.
The distance limitations for RMG factories can be increased to 60 meters where a complete automatic fire detection system, portable fire extinguishers, and standpipe system are provided in accordance with the standard.
Travel distance limitations can be increased to 122 meters where a complete automatic sprinkler system, automatic fire alarm system, and portable fire extinguishers are provided, the Accord said.
The manual said the automatic sprinkler protection needed to be installed throughout all portions of new and existing high-rise buildings with an occupiable floor greater than 23 meters above the finished grade.
Existing buildings greater than two storeys with non-rated construction should not exceed 2000 square meters per floor unless automatic sprinkler protection is provided throughout, the manual stated.
The Accord said that the fire protection was a fundamental goal of the initiative and the manual deals only with existing buildings.
‘The Accord has some different requirements for new construction, as there are different options available for achieving safety in a newly constructed building,’ the Accord said in a news press release on Tuesday.
-With New Age input
