Fire Safety at Construction Sites: Passive Early Detection and Extinguishing Systems

Context: Fire Safety at Construction Sites

Ensuring fire safety at construction sites, especially in the Far North and with a large number of contractors, is a critical task. Statistics show that a significant portion of fires at hazardous production facilities (HPF) is associated with emergency operation modes of electrical networks and violations of electrical installation rules. In his presentation, Konstantin Trufanov, Deputy Director for Occupational Safety at ALROSA, shares practical experience in implementing passive early detection and fire extinguishing systems that minimize risks at minimal costs.

Two Barriers of Protection: From Early Detection to Autonomous Extinguishing

The speaker details an approach based on creating two protection barriers that work together.

Barrier 1: Thermal Indicators for Electrical Equipment Monitoring

The first barrier is aimed at the early detection of defects. For this, thermal indicators (stickers) are used, which are applied to the contacts of electrical equipment. The substance in the sticker cells irreversibly turns black when heated to a certain temperature (for example, over 50-60 degrees). This allows visual recording of abnormal heating caused by phase imbalance, poor contact, or bearing wear, even before a fire or serious breakdown occurs.

Barrier 2: Autonomous Fire Extinguishing Devices

The second barrier is the use of autonomous devices (spheres and microcapsules) directly on the equipment and in high-risk areas (temporary electrical panel assemblies, lighting masts, flammable liquid storage). These devices trigger automatically upon reaching a critical temperature or contact with an open flame, localizing the fire at an early stage.

Practical Results and Development Plans

Konstantin shows by example how the thermal indicator system helped prevent serious accidents. In one case, a phase imbalance was detected on a gantry crane; in another, a bearing defect that could not be heard due to the high noise level in the workshop. Timely detection of defects avoided expensive repairs and equipment downtime, which is especially critical in low-temperature conditions.

Development plans for the system include integrating thermal indicators with a gas analysis system. When heated, the new stickers will emit a signal gas, allowing defects to be tracked in real time with an alarm signal sent to the dispatcher's console and the mobile devices of responsible persons. There are also plans to expand the use of autonomous extinguishing systems in flammable liquid storage and on transport (in addition to standard systems).

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to organize effective monitoring of electrical equipment using thermal indicators?
• Which autonomous fire extinguishing systems are advisable to use at construction sites and flammable liquid storage?
• How does early defect detection help prevent expensive breakdowns and emergency equipment shutdowns?
• How to adapt passive protection systems for operation in extreme climatic conditions?