Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated approach to fire safety assessment, through combining the outcomes of a checklist tailored to the requirements of the International Building Code (IBC), and an evacuation simulation tool (EVACNET4), applied to a student housing facility as case study.
Design/methodology/approach
– The authors reviewed relevant literature and previous studies pertaining to fire safety assessment and management. An assessment checklist was developed according to the requirements of the IBC. EVACNET4 simulation tool was utilized to model the evacuation of the facility under review. The results derived from the aforementioned steps were correlated to identify potential corroborating or conflicting issues pertaining to the safe evacuation of building occupants in the occurrence of a fire incident.
Findings
– Fire safety provisions were found to be adequate, and the building can be evacuated safely in about 190 seconds, should a fire occur. The architectural design aspects of the exit doors which might cause potential bottlenecks were identified.
Originality/value
– A completely fire safe building does not exist, and thus more integrative approaches to fire safety assessment and management will reduce to the least extent possible fire risks. A holistic fire safety management of campus housing is of paramount interest to the campus community, and the building industry at large.
• Understand and explain why high-rise buildings present a difficult and different fire problem for firefighters, including the unique fire behavior problems that may be encountered in a high-rise fire
• Recognize the difference in construction methods of high-rise buildings and explain how different construction materials and designs impact fire behavior in these buildings
• Describe the fire fighting strategies and tactics used to locate, confine, and extinguish high-rise fires
• Describe the special problems that may be encountered on high-rise fires such as communications issues, the stack effect, ventilation concerns, evacuation issues, and elevator control
• Describe and explain the purpose of the special fire protection equipment which may be found in high-rise buildings
• Describe when a stairwell support system may be needed
ANALYSIS MODEL OF MASTER PLAN FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM IN BUILDING AND ENVIRONM...IAEME Publication
In the perspective of Construction Management, fires as a risk to Jakarta city can
hamper the process of sustainability of Jakarta city administration, which includes:
Jakarta city planning, and building construction in Jakarta city environment. From
various sources, the average data of fire incident in Jakarta amounted to 4-5 times in
one day. In relation there to, the risk of fire in the city of Jakarta should be prevented
and overcome, so as not to result in the widespread risk of fire from the fire, which in
turn may result in Jakarta being totally paralyzed by a total burn. For this reason, this
research will solve research problems that will focus on the analysis of the importance
of the Fire Protection System in the context of fire prevention and control in Jakarta,
namely: 1) What are the factors and variables of the Fire Protection System model? 2)
How is Fire Protection System model analysis selected?; and 3) What
recommendations can be given to related parties? This research uses qualitative and
quantitative research methods to solve the above three research problems. This
research resulted that there are many factors and variables forming the chosen model.
• Understand and explain why high-rise buildings present a difficult and different fire problem for firefighters, including the unique fire behavior problems that may be encountered in a high-rise fire
• Recognize the difference in construction methods of high-rise buildings and explain how different construction materials and designs impact fire behavior in these buildings
• Describe the fire fighting strategies and tactics used to locate, confine, and extinguish high-rise fires
• Describe the special problems that may be encountered on high-rise fires such as communications issues, the stack effect, ventilation concerns, evacuation issues, and elevator control
• Describe and explain the purpose of the special fire protection equipment which may be found in high-rise buildings
• Describe when a stairwell support system may be needed
ANALYSIS MODEL OF MASTER PLAN FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM IN BUILDING AND ENVIRONM...IAEME Publication
In the perspective of Construction Management, fires as a risk to Jakarta city can
hamper the process of sustainability of Jakarta city administration, which includes:
Jakarta city planning, and building construction in Jakarta city environment. From
various sources, the average data of fire incident in Jakarta amounted to 4-5 times in
one day. In relation there to, the risk of fire in the city of Jakarta should be prevented
and overcome, so as not to result in the widespread risk of fire from the fire, which in
turn may result in Jakarta being totally paralyzed by a total burn. For this reason, this
research will solve research problems that will focus on the analysis of the importance
of the Fire Protection System in the context of fire prevention and control in Jakarta,
namely: 1) What are the factors and variables of the Fire Protection System model? 2)
How is Fire Protection System model analysis selected?; and 3) What
recommendations can be given to related parties? This research uses qualitative and
quantitative research methods to solve the above three research problems. This
research resulted that there are many factors and variables forming the chosen model.
The Building area is growing very fast and indispensable to Development involving of Building. Workers Operate in dangerous Environmental and accidents are a common incidence at Building sites. The fundamental Objective of the learn about has been investigate the Safety of worker at constructing sites, and arose out of the need to have a safer working environment. Safety and what have an effect on it have been examined and the most effective preventive and mitigation measure, which can be adopted, that are like minded with the practices and applied sciences handy regarded at. The Methodology adopted involves, an big Literature review, Collection of records by use of Questionnaires, on spot web site test plus oral interviews at Building site. The finding of study are, that the stakeholders are not nicely educated in security planning and administration but they have a main function in providing and keeping a protection at constructing sites, the protective gear and first aid furnished is now not sufficient, and attention plus attitude closer to safety at all level in poor. A protection Assessment tool for building sites has been developed, Conclusion and Recommendation made, which include integrating safety into standard expert coaching and site management, plus introduction of a fine safety. S. Lavanyadevi | Dr. K. Vidhya "Safety Assessment in Construction Projects" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-4 , June 2020, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd30967.pdf Paper Url :https://www.ijtsrd.com/engineering/civil-engineering/30967/safety-assessment-in-construction-projects/s-lavanyadevi
Case study has been carried out on safety of industrial plants. .Various research papers are studied . Safety of the plants are important factor in mechanical engineering .
There is much speculation about the average person’s ability to use a fire extinguisher effectively. This
speculation includes the ability of a novice user to adequately extinguish a fire with a fire extinguisher
without harming oneself or others.
This study employed a random sampling of the population to gather data that described and quantified
several aspects relating to use, technique, and safety. Participants were presented with an extinguisher
and asked to extinguish a controlled propane fire. The BullEx Intelligent Training System was used in this
study to simulate a Class A fire through a controlled propane system.
Get your quality homework help now and stand out.Our professional writers are committed to excellence. We have trained the best scholars in different fields of study.Contact us now at http://www.essaysexperts.net/ and place your order at affordable price done within set deadlines.We always have someone online ready to answer all your queries and take your requests.
Fire Safety Network for Fertilizers Industries.pdfPremBaboo4
Fire network & Fire prevention device with fire station is essential for all industries. The fire Industries have very dangerous substances and gases that can catch fire at any time. Most of the accidents/injuries are caused by human errors. Industry says, human error accounts for 96% of accidents. The rest takes place due to external conditions and failure factory equipment. In which fertilizers industries account for most of such fatal accidents. Safety is a condition or state of being resulting from the modification of human behavior, and/or designing of the physical environment to reduce the possibility of hazards, thereby reducing accidents. Safety is an ever changing condition in which one attempts to minimize the risk of injury, illness or property damage from the hazards to which one may be exposed. Perfect fire network is must for fertilizers Industries. Life is god's special gift to mankind. It is therefore important to treasure & protect it from all kinds of potential threats. Regardless of the precautions that we take in our day-to-day life, fire accidents are seldom averted. Risky jobs with a potential to put your life at risk can be a cause for concern especially to your family & friends. Moreover,constant exposure to dangerous surroundings increases the chances of enduring major/minor injuries with a likelihood of developing a permanent handicap.
Site Safety Management and planning for Building ConstructionAbu Yousuf Jamil
This is a technical paper or journal on "Construction Safety " . This paper is written about site safety management and planning for Building Construction . I hope that the paper will help people (Engineers or Contractors) to study construction safety related problems and if they falls to any construction safety related problems ,they will easily solve these problems following the planning, methods and regulations which are easily described in the paper. If this paper will help yours, i will be successful..
This paper is also selected,prized and published in a magazine in the event "BUILtech Fest - 2016" jointly organizing by the Department of Building Engineering and Construction Management(BECM);KUET and Institution of Civil Engineers(ICE) Center -Bangladesh
www.FireEngineering.com FIRE ENGINEERING January 2014 99Fi.docxericbrooks84875
www.FireEngineering.com FIRE ENGINEERING January 2014 99
Fire Protection
Engineers in the
Fire Service
B Y T H O M A S P L A T T
O
VER THE PAST FEW DECADES, THE FIRE SERVICE
and its scope have undergone an evolution. Unprece-
dented new hazards and threats have emerged. Fires
are burning differently because of modern construction tech-
niques and furnishings; budget constraints are limiting staffing,
equipment purchasing, and training; and firefighters now face
not only new hazardous materials and technical rescue chal-
lenges but also terrorist and criminal events. Upholding the fire
service mantra “adapt and overcome,” we
have responded proactively to these chal-
lenges by expanding our capabilities and
introducing new technology, equipment,
and training. To assist in fully under-
standing these ever-changing issues, fire
protection engineers (FPEs) have provided
valuable technical expertise to the fire
service’s progression. By hiring an FPE,
a fire department will benefit greatly, as
outlined below.
Fire protection engineering uses sci-
ence and technology to protect people,
properties, and businesses from destruc-
tive fires. FPEs understand how build-
ings are used; how fires start; how fires
grow; and how fire and smoke affect
people, buildings, and property. Using
the latest technologies, they design
systems that control fires and smoke,
alert people to danger, and provide the
means for escape; they evaluate build-
ings to pinpoint the fire risks and mitigate them; they conduct
fire safety research on firefighting tactics and equipment,
consumer products, and construction materials; and they
investigate fires to discover how fire originates and spreads,
why protective measures fail, and how those measures could
have been designed more effectively. Although many FPEs
work in the consulting, design, or insurance industries, their
roles within the fire service are increasing, offering additional
technical expertise and capabilities.
BUILDING FIRE PROTECTION
Fire protection is a comprehensive strategy that extends
well beyond fixed systems or fire department operations
alone. It is achieved by analyzing hazards and occupancies,
installing appropriate fire protection systems, integrating
them with other building systems, and coordinating these
systems with the human interface during occupant evacuation
and fire department operations.1
Design coordination by an FPE can ensure that fire protec-
tion systems are appropriate for the building and its jurisdic-
tion, that all systems operate and are integrated in accordance
with the overall fire protection strategy and design, and that
these systems’ necessary interfaces are coordinated with the fire
department and are user friendly. This may include, but is not
limited to, standpipe system design, hydrant and fire department
connection placement, understandable fire alarm annunciators,
elevato.
Prevention
36 ProfessionalSafety JULY 2013 www.asse.org
Fall Prevention
on Residential Construction Sites
By Vicki Kaskutas, Bradley Evanoff and Harry Miller
F
alls from height remain the most common
cause of workplace fatalities among residen-
tial construction workers, accounting for 64%
of the fatalities in residential building and 100% of
the fatalities among framing contractors in 2010
(BLS, 2011). Despite a recent decrease in fall inci-
dence rates (BLS, 2011), 164 of the 1,025 carpenter
apprentices surveyed (16%) reported a fall from
height in the past year, and 512 of these carpen-
ters (50%) knew someone who had recently fallen
(Kaskutas, Dale, Lipscomb, et al., 2010).
Work site fall safety audits at 197 residential sites
demonstrated an average compliance of 59% with
fall protection and/or prevention measures, rang-
ing from 28% for roof truss installation to 80% for
roof sheathing (Kaskutas, Dale, No-
lan, et al., 2009). As a result, residential
construction workers frequently work
at heights without fall protection.
For example, workers installing roof
trusses may stand on the top of walls
(Photo 1) or in the roof truss without
fall arrest or protection (Photo 2).
OSHA (2010) now requires use of
conventional fall protection at resi-
dential construction sites when work-
ers are more than 6 ft from a lower
level; this includes safety nets, guard-
rails and/or personal fall arrest sys-
tems (OSHA, 2006). OSHA’s (2011)
Guidance Document for Residential
Construction outlines technologies to
provide conventional fall protection during home
construction. It is critical to identify and evaluate
these technologies and to diffuse these technolo-
gies to construction professionals. This pilot study
identified fall protection technologies, measured a
small sample of carpentry professionals’ percep-
tions of these technologies, and pilot tested two
devices with several residential contractors in St.
Louis, MO.
Study Methods
Device Rating
Commercially available fall protection devices
appropriate for residential construction were iden-
tified by an Internet search and discussion with
carpentry experts, safety professionals and equip-
ment representatives. After reviewing manufactur-
ers’ instructions for technologies identified, a brief
presentation was developed to describe and dem-
onstrate the technologies, including purpose, cost
and potential uses.
A written survey was designed to measure work-
ers’ perception of ease of use, cost, durability, effect
on productivity and overall effectiveness on a 10-
cm visual analogue scale. A sample of 36 carpentry
professionals in the St. Louis, MO, metropolitan
area participated in this study. Participants were
shown the presentation describing each fall pro-
tection technology in a group or individual setting.
Discussion about each device was facilitated and
participants’ questions were answered to the best
of the researchers’ abilities..
resource 1TitleINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS CONCEPTUAL AWAREN.docxdebishakespeare
resource 1
Title: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: CONCEPTUAL AWARENESS OF RESEARCH STUDENTS ABOUT PLAGIARISM.
Authors: Mahmood, Sheikh Tariq1
Mahmood, Azhar1 [email protected]
Muhammad Nasir Khan1
Allaha Bakhsh Malik1
Source: International Journal of Academic Research. Nov2010, Vol. 2 Issue 6, p193-198. 6p. 5 Charts.
Document Type: Article
Subject Terms: *PROPERTY rights
*INTELLECTUAL property
*PLAGIARISM -- Prevention
*ACADEMIC discourse
*ISLAMIC universities & colleges
Geographic Terms: ISLAMABAD (Pakistan)
PAKISTAN
Author-Supplied Keywords: avoid plagiarism
awareness
plagiarism
Quality research
research students
Abstract: A number of factors are responsible for the quality of research. An essential requirement of research is that it meets the criteria of scholarly writing or academic writing. Although, in every professional field, experts consider some ideas "common knowledge," but for the researcher it is not because the researcher is getting all this from different sources of knowledge .Researchers use this knowledge for paraphrasing, summarizing and for conceptualization during this process some times intentionally and some times unintentionally not use the citation of the proper source and hence becomes a victim of plagiarism. To find out the awareness of research students about the concept of plagiarism and to suggest possible ways to avoid it, a descriptive study was conducted. The objectives of the study were to examine the researcher's knowledge about concept of plagiarism, knowledge about specific terminologies, types of plagiarism, and consequences of plagiarism and to suggest possible ways to avoid it. Study was delimited to the research students of education at PhD, M.Phil and MA level in International Islamic University, Islamabad. A sample of sixty students was selected through cluster sampling technique, five point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. Major finding were that most of the students had misconception of plagiarism, most of them were unaware about the specific terminologies and types of plagiarism. Majority of the students were unaware about the consequences of plagiarism. On the basis of findings it was concluded that they were not properly informed/taught about the concept of plagiarism during their course work and it had implications on the quality of research. The major recommendations were to add sufficient material about plagiarism in research courses and to develop a university study guide to avoid plagiarism practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Journal of Academic Research is the property of International Journal of Academic Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the a ...
In TargetSolutions' Community Resources, you can find limitless files that are shared from our very own clients. Presented in this slide show are the top 10 most popular resources pertaining to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Turing’s Computing Machinery and Intelligence.pdfMuizz Anibire
A. M. Turing (1950) Computing Machinery and Intelligence. Mind 49: 433-46
COMPUTING MACHINERY AND INTELLIGENCE
By A. M. Turing
1. The Imitation Game
I propose to consider the question, "Can machines think?" This should begin with
definitions of the meaning of the terms "machine" and "think." The definitions might be
framed so as to reflect so far as possible the normal use of the words, but this attitude is
dangerous, If the meaning of the words "machine" and "think" are to be found by
examining how they are commonly used it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the
meaning and the answer to the question, "Can machines think?" is to be sought in a
statistical survey such as a Gallup poll. But this is absurd. Instead of attempting such a
definition I shall replace the question by another, which is closely related to it and is
expressed in relatively unambiguous words.
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The Building area is growing very fast and indispensable to Development involving of Building. Workers Operate in dangerous Environmental and accidents are a common incidence at Building sites. The fundamental Objective of the learn about has been investigate the Safety of worker at constructing sites, and arose out of the need to have a safer working environment. Safety and what have an effect on it have been examined and the most effective preventive and mitigation measure, which can be adopted, that are like minded with the practices and applied sciences handy regarded at. The Methodology adopted involves, an big Literature review, Collection of records by use of Questionnaires, on spot web site test plus oral interviews at Building site. The finding of study are, that the stakeholders are not nicely educated in security planning and administration but they have a main function in providing and keeping a protection at constructing sites, the protective gear and first aid furnished is now not sufficient, and attention plus attitude closer to safety at all level in poor. A protection Assessment tool for building sites has been developed, Conclusion and Recommendation made, which include integrating safety into standard expert coaching and site management, plus introduction of a fine safety. S. Lavanyadevi | Dr. K. Vidhya "Safety Assessment in Construction Projects" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-4 , June 2020, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd30967.pdf Paper Url :https://www.ijtsrd.com/engineering/civil-engineering/30967/safety-assessment-in-construction-projects/s-lavanyadevi
Case study has been carried out on safety of industrial plants. .Various research papers are studied . Safety of the plants are important factor in mechanical engineering .
There is much speculation about the average person’s ability to use a fire extinguisher effectively. This
speculation includes the ability of a novice user to adequately extinguish a fire with a fire extinguisher
without harming oneself or others.
This study employed a random sampling of the population to gather data that described and quantified
several aspects relating to use, technique, and safety. Participants were presented with an extinguisher
and asked to extinguish a controlled propane fire. The BullEx Intelligent Training System was used in this
study to simulate a Class A fire through a controlled propane system.
Get your quality homework help now and stand out.Our professional writers are committed to excellence. We have trained the best scholars in different fields of study.Contact us now at http://www.essaysexperts.net/ and place your order at affordable price done within set deadlines.We always have someone online ready to answer all your queries and take your requests.
Fire Safety Network for Fertilizers Industries.pdfPremBaboo4
Fire network & Fire prevention device with fire station is essential for all industries. The fire Industries have very dangerous substances and gases that can catch fire at any time. Most of the accidents/injuries are caused by human errors. Industry says, human error accounts for 96% of accidents. The rest takes place due to external conditions and failure factory equipment. In which fertilizers industries account for most of such fatal accidents. Safety is a condition or state of being resulting from the modification of human behavior, and/or designing of the physical environment to reduce the possibility of hazards, thereby reducing accidents. Safety is an ever changing condition in which one attempts to minimize the risk of injury, illness or property damage from the hazards to which one may be exposed. Perfect fire network is must for fertilizers Industries. Life is god's special gift to mankind. It is therefore important to treasure & protect it from all kinds of potential threats. Regardless of the precautions that we take in our day-to-day life, fire accidents are seldom averted. Risky jobs with a potential to put your life at risk can be a cause for concern especially to your family & friends. Moreover,constant exposure to dangerous surroundings increases the chances of enduring major/minor injuries with a likelihood of developing a permanent handicap.
Site Safety Management and planning for Building ConstructionAbu Yousuf Jamil
This is a technical paper or journal on "Construction Safety " . This paper is written about site safety management and planning for Building Construction . I hope that the paper will help people (Engineers or Contractors) to study construction safety related problems and if they falls to any construction safety related problems ,they will easily solve these problems following the planning, methods and regulations which are easily described in the paper. If this paper will help yours, i will be successful..
This paper is also selected,prized and published in a magazine in the event "BUILtech Fest - 2016" jointly organizing by the Department of Building Engineering and Construction Management(BECM);KUET and Institution of Civil Engineers(ICE) Center -Bangladesh
www.FireEngineering.com FIRE ENGINEERING January 2014 99Fi.docxericbrooks84875
www.FireEngineering.com FIRE ENGINEERING January 2014 99
Fire Protection
Engineers in the
Fire Service
B Y T H O M A S P L A T T
O
VER THE PAST FEW DECADES, THE FIRE SERVICE
and its scope have undergone an evolution. Unprece-
dented new hazards and threats have emerged. Fires
are burning differently because of modern construction tech-
niques and furnishings; budget constraints are limiting staffing,
equipment purchasing, and training; and firefighters now face
not only new hazardous materials and technical rescue chal-
lenges but also terrorist and criminal events. Upholding the fire
service mantra “adapt and overcome,” we
have responded proactively to these chal-
lenges by expanding our capabilities and
introducing new technology, equipment,
and training. To assist in fully under-
standing these ever-changing issues, fire
protection engineers (FPEs) have provided
valuable technical expertise to the fire
service’s progression. By hiring an FPE,
a fire department will benefit greatly, as
outlined below.
Fire protection engineering uses sci-
ence and technology to protect people,
properties, and businesses from destruc-
tive fires. FPEs understand how build-
ings are used; how fires start; how fires
grow; and how fire and smoke affect
people, buildings, and property. Using
the latest technologies, they design
systems that control fires and smoke,
alert people to danger, and provide the
means for escape; they evaluate build-
ings to pinpoint the fire risks and mitigate them; they conduct
fire safety research on firefighting tactics and equipment,
consumer products, and construction materials; and they
investigate fires to discover how fire originates and spreads,
why protective measures fail, and how those measures could
have been designed more effectively. Although many FPEs
work in the consulting, design, or insurance industries, their
roles within the fire service are increasing, offering additional
technical expertise and capabilities.
BUILDING FIRE PROTECTION
Fire protection is a comprehensive strategy that extends
well beyond fixed systems or fire department operations
alone. It is achieved by analyzing hazards and occupancies,
installing appropriate fire protection systems, integrating
them with other building systems, and coordinating these
systems with the human interface during occupant evacuation
and fire department operations.1
Design coordination by an FPE can ensure that fire protec-
tion systems are appropriate for the building and its jurisdic-
tion, that all systems operate and are integrated in accordance
with the overall fire protection strategy and design, and that
these systems’ necessary interfaces are coordinated with the fire
department and are user friendly. This may include, but is not
limited to, standpipe system design, hydrant and fire department
connection placement, understandable fire alarm annunciators,
elevato.
Prevention
36 ProfessionalSafety JULY 2013 www.asse.org
Fall Prevention
on Residential Construction Sites
By Vicki Kaskutas, Bradley Evanoff and Harry Miller
F
alls from height remain the most common
cause of workplace fatalities among residen-
tial construction workers, accounting for 64%
of the fatalities in residential building and 100% of
the fatalities among framing contractors in 2010
(BLS, 2011). Despite a recent decrease in fall inci-
dence rates (BLS, 2011), 164 of the 1,025 carpenter
apprentices surveyed (16%) reported a fall from
height in the past year, and 512 of these carpen-
ters (50%) knew someone who had recently fallen
(Kaskutas, Dale, Lipscomb, et al., 2010).
Work site fall safety audits at 197 residential sites
demonstrated an average compliance of 59% with
fall protection and/or prevention measures, rang-
ing from 28% for roof truss installation to 80% for
roof sheathing (Kaskutas, Dale, No-
lan, et al., 2009). As a result, residential
construction workers frequently work
at heights without fall protection.
For example, workers installing roof
trusses may stand on the top of walls
(Photo 1) or in the roof truss without
fall arrest or protection (Photo 2).
OSHA (2010) now requires use of
conventional fall protection at resi-
dential construction sites when work-
ers are more than 6 ft from a lower
level; this includes safety nets, guard-
rails and/or personal fall arrest sys-
tems (OSHA, 2006). OSHA’s (2011)
Guidance Document for Residential
Construction outlines technologies to
provide conventional fall protection during home
construction. It is critical to identify and evaluate
these technologies and to diffuse these technolo-
gies to construction professionals. This pilot study
identified fall protection technologies, measured a
small sample of carpentry professionals’ percep-
tions of these technologies, and pilot tested two
devices with several residential contractors in St.
Louis, MO.
Study Methods
Device Rating
Commercially available fall protection devices
appropriate for residential construction were iden-
tified by an Internet search and discussion with
carpentry experts, safety professionals and equip-
ment representatives. After reviewing manufactur-
ers’ instructions for technologies identified, a brief
presentation was developed to describe and dem-
onstrate the technologies, including purpose, cost
and potential uses.
A written survey was designed to measure work-
ers’ perception of ease of use, cost, durability, effect
on productivity and overall effectiveness on a 10-
cm visual analogue scale. A sample of 36 carpentry
professionals in the St. Louis, MO, metropolitan
area participated in this study. Participants were
shown the presentation describing each fall pro-
tection technology in a group or individual setting.
Discussion about each device was facilitated and
participants’ questions were answered to the best
of the researchers’ abilities..
resource 1TitleINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS CONCEPTUAL AWAREN.docxdebishakespeare
resource 1
Title: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: CONCEPTUAL AWARENESS OF RESEARCH STUDENTS ABOUT PLAGIARISM.
Authors: Mahmood, Sheikh Tariq1
Mahmood, Azhar1 [email protected]
Muhammad Nasir Khan1
Allaha Bakhsh Malik1
Source: International Journal of Academic Research. Nov2010, Vol. 2 Issue 6, p193-198. 6p. 5 Charts.
Document Type: Article
Subject Terms: *PROPERTY rights
*INTELLECTUAL property
*PLAGIARISM -- Prevention
*ACADEMIC discourse
*ISLAMIC universities & colleges
Geographic Terms: ISLAMABAD (Pakistan)
PAKISTAN
Author-Supplied Keywords: avoid plagiarism
awareness
plagiarism
Quality research
research students
Abstract: A number of factors are responsible for the quality of research. An essential requirement of research is that it meets the criteria of scholarly writing or academic writing. Although, in every professional field, experts consider some ideas "common knowledge," but for the researcher it is not because the researcher is getting all this from different sources of knowledge .Researchers use this knowledge for paraphrasing, summarizing and for conceptualization during this process some times intentionally and some times unintentionally not use the citation of the proper source and hence becomes a victim of plagiarism. To find out the awareness of research students about the concept of plagiarism and to suggest possible ways to avoid it, a descriptive study was conducted. The objectives of the study were to examine the researcher's knowledge about concept of plagiarism, knowledge about specific terminologies, types of plagiarism, and consequences of plagiarism and to suggest possible ways to avoid it. Study was delimited to the research students of education at PhD, M.Phil and MA level in International Islamic University, Islamabad. A sample of sixty students was selected through cluster sampling technique, five point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. Major finding were that most of the students had misconception of plagiarism, most of them were unaware about the specific terminologies and types of plagiarism. Majority of the students were unaware about the consequences of plagiarism. On the basis of findings it was concluded that they were not properly informed/taught about the concept of plagiarism during their course work and it had implications on the quality of research. The major recommendations were to add sufficient material about plagiarism in research courses and to develop a university study guide to avoid plagiarism practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Journal of Academic Research is the property of International Journal of Academic Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the a ...
In TargetSolutions' Community Resources, you can find limitless files that are shared from our very own clients. Presented in this slide show are the top 10 most popular resources pertaining to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Similar to An integrated fire safety assessment of a student housing facility (20)
Turing’s Computing Machinery and Intelligence.pdfMuizz Anibire
A. M. Turing (1950) Computing Machinery and Intelligence. Mind 49: 433-46
COMPUTING MACHINERY AND INTELLIGENCE
By A. M. Turing
1. The Imitation Game
I propose to consider the question, "Can machines think?" This should begin with
definitions of the meaning of the terms "machine" and "think." The definitions might be
framed so as to reflect so far as possible the normal use of the words, but this attitude is
dangerous, If the meaning of the words "machine" and "think" are to be found by
examining how they are commonly used it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the
meaning and the answer to the question, "Can machines think?" is to be sought in a
statistical survey such as a Gallup poll. But this is absurd. Instead of attempting such a
definition I shall replace the question by another, which is closely related to it and is
expressed in relatively unambiguous words.
CAUSES OF DELAY IN TALL BUILDING PROJECTS IN GCC COUNTRIESMuizz Anibire
CAUSES OF DELAY IN TALL BUILDING PROJECTS IN GCC COUNTRIES
ICCEPM2020, HONG KONG, 7-8 DEC, 2020
The 8th International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management
Proceedings of a Seminar held at the College of Environmental Design University of Petroleum & Minerals Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, November, 24 - 28, 1984
Editors: Ackerknecht, Dieter
Assaf, Sadi
Session 09_Risk Assessment Program for YSP_Risk Assessment Tools and Practica...Muizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Session 08_Risk Assessment Program for YSP_Risk Treatment and CommunicationMuizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Session 07_Risk Assessment Program for YSP_Risk EvaluationMuizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Session 06_Risk Assessment Program for YSP_Risk Analysis IIIMuizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Session 05_Risk Assessment Program for YSP_Risk Analysis IIMuizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Session 04_Risk Assessment Program for YSP_Risk Analysis IMuizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Session 03_Risk Assessment Program for YSP_Risk IdentificationMuizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Session 02 Risk Assessment Program for YSP_The Risk Assessment ProcessMuizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Session 01 _Risk Assessment Program for YSP_Introduction, Definitions and Sta...Muizz Anibire
Program Objectives
In light of industrialization trends across the globe, new hazards are constantly introduced in many workplaces. This program aims to provide Young Safety Professionals (YSPs) from diverse backgrounds with the requisite skill to address the health and safety hazards in the modern workplace.
Construction Safety Training_Session 10_Risk Assessment, Hierarchy of Control...Muizz Anibire
Learning Objectives
Describe the risk assessment process.
Carry out risk assessment studies of construction tasks.
Highlight control measures for identified risks.
Understand Methods Statement as a part of the risk assessment process.
Construction Safety Training_Session 08_Demolition using ExplosivesMuizz Anibire
Learning Objectives
Understand the process of construction demolition using explosives.
Describe the exclusion zone in an explosive demolition process.
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We have compiled the most important slides from each speaker's presentation. This year’s compilation, available for free, captures the key insights and contributions shared during the DfMAy 2024 conference.
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Hybrid optimization of pumped hydro system and solar- Engr. Abdul-Azeez.pdffxintegritypublishin
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input and curriculum learning holds significant promise for mitigating adversarial attacks without necessitating
adversary training.
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An integrated fire safety assessment of a student housing facility
1. Structural Survey
An integrated fire safety assessment of a student housing facility
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire Mohammad A. Hassanain
Article information:
To cite this document:
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire Mohammad A. Hassanain , (2015),"An integrated fire safety assessment of a
student housing facility", Structural Survey, Vol. 33 Iss 4/5 pp. 354 - 371
Permanent link to this document:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/SS-03-2015-0017
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3. Steady commitment, careful planning, implementation and maintenance by the student
housing administrative department is essential to ensure a fire safe student housing
facility (Mowrer, 1999).
A variety of risk assessment approaches have been established to achieve acceptable
levels of fire safety. Some of these approaches are based on compliance with fire code
requirements in the design and operation of a facility, others are based on real life or
computer aided evacuation simulations. These isolated risk assessment approaches to fire
safety assessment create loop holes due to the assumptions made. Some of the built-in
assumptions include fuel load remaining unchanged over time, fire resistant doors
operational at all times, fire detection and signalling systems provide warning at earliest
time and occupants will be ready to evacuate at the sound of the alarm. These
assumptions however, could be wrong or insufficient resulting in an ambiguous design or
assessment. Therefore, there is a need for considering the interaction of the various fire
safety systems and the integration of various approaches to fire safety assessments and
design (Meacham, 1999). The combined outcome derived from two or more
complimentary approaches will fill in the loop created by an isolated approach. Thus,
this paper proposes an integrated approach to fire safety assessment based on the
combination of a checklist tailored to the International Building Code (IBC) (2012)
requirements for the given occupancy type, and an evacuation simulation software
(EVACNET4) applied to a student housing facility as case study. The result is of
importance to architects, builders, fire protection engineers and facility managers in
enhancing the overall safety of the residential environment in student housing facilities.
2. Research methodology
In order to achieve the objective of the study, literature has been reviewed pertaining to
fire safety evaluation, fire safety management objectives and evacuation studies. This
is to serve as a theoretical base for conducting the following activities:
• Development of the assessment checklist: the occupancy type of the facility as
defined by the IBC (2012) was used to tailor the elements of the assessment
checklist. The developed checklist was used to carry out an assessment while
moving from the upper floors to the lower floors and from wing to wing within
the building. A camera was used along with the checklist to record observations.
Relevant interviews were also carried out with maintenance and safety personnel
of the student housing administrative department.
• Modelling and simulation of evacuation: relevant floor plans were used to develop
the model in nodes and arcs, in accordance to EVACNET4 users’ guide (Kisko
et al., 1998). The developed model was executed and the results were obtained.
• Finally, the results derived from the aforementioned steps are correlated to
identify potential corroborating or conflicting issues pertaining to the safe
evacuation of building occupants in the occurrence of a fire incident.
Figure 1 is a pictorial representation of the methodology adopted by this study.
3. Fires in student housing facilities
The IBC (2012) describes student housing facilities as buildings which contain more than
two accommodation units with occupants permanent in nature. Campus housing is an
integral component of the university intended to help students attain intellectual
competence, enliven personal character and aid in forming patterns of behaviour, thought
355
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fire safety
assessment
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4. and imagination which should lead to a fulfilling living experience. The functions usually
accommodated in student rooms are studying, sleeping, dressing and relaxing
(Hassanain, 2008a). For students, campus life represents a period of independence and
an opportunity for juvenile indulgence, which is a potential threat to their personal safety.
The occurrence of campus fires are relatively rare, however when it occurs, it leaves
devastating consequences that can last forever changing lives of not only individuals but
families and communities (Mowrer, 1999).
Fire could develop in student housing facilities because of several reasons, including
ignorance, lack of concern and awareness about fire safety and prevention, students’
pranks and tampering with fire alarms, which results to ignoring the fire alarm when it
goes off (Shan, 2008). Student housing facilities are classified as high risk type facilities
in fire emergencies due to three factors. The first factor relates to the large number of
students potentially exposed at one location. The second relates to the high fire load
attributed to the nature, amount and arrangement of fire fuel that exists in the student
rooms. The third contributing factor is the design configuration of the majority of
student housing facilities. Most of these facilities are multi-storey buildings, occupants
located in upper floors could experience escape problems due to overcrowding and
chaos found at exit routes and while going down stairwells (Hassanain, 2008b).
4. Fire safety management
Fires are preventable by effective management and occupant’s awareness. Fire safety
management has been the subject of research and implementation of numerous fire
safety organizations (Argueta et al., 2009). Fire safety management is concerned with the
reduction of the potential for harm to life and damage to properties due to the occurrence
of fire in buildings. Although the threat to life and property cannot be completely
eliminated, fire safety management is meant to reduce to the least extent possible fire risk
through active and passive design features (Canadian Wood Council (CWC), 2000).
Fire safety has three major objectives. The first objective is to “prevent ignition of
building materials and contents”. Achieving this objective involves three activities,
namely: controlling ignition sources; controlling fuel characteristics; and controlling
fuel/heat interaction by maintaining adequate separation (Watson, 2000). These
prevention activities require an audit of ignition sources and the amount and nature of
fuel. Potential fuel in student housing include upholstered furniture, mattresses and
bedding, draperies, curtains and other free-hanging decorations, combustible wall,
Checklist Assessment Literature Review
Modeling and
simulation of
Evacuation
(EVACNET4)
Acquire relevant floor
plans to create network
model and determine
relevant arcs and areas
distances
Execute model
generated to derive
total evacuation time,
bottlenecks and
evacuation
Evaluate fire safety
provisions in the facility
and carry out relevant
interviews
Develop checklist in
accordance to IBC code
requirements for R2
occupancy
Integrate results
Figure 1.
Pictorial
representation of
the research
methodology
356
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5. ceiling and floor finishes, desks, dressers and bookcases, books, papers, notebooks
and reports, trash and recycling materials and clothing. Potential ignition sources
include smoking materials such as cigarettes, matches and lighters, candles and
incense, cooking equipment and appliances, electric lamps and appliances
and building services such as electrical and gas distribution and utilization
equipment (Mowrer, 1999). Since fire prevention is never completely assured, the
chances of preventing a fire are increased by ensuring building codes compliance of
the design, construction and operation stages. The building operation stage is the
most significant in preventing the occurrence of fire. Good housekeeping, for
example, ensures that combustible materials are separated from heat sources (CWC,
2002). The second objective is to “control fire development”. This involves detecting
fires by means of heat, smoke and flame detectors, controlling combustion and
limiting the rate of development, spread and severity of fire (Watson, 2000). In smaller
buildings, the provision of a fire extinguisher might suffice. Larger buildings require
more, like the deployment of sprinkler systems (CWC, 2000). The third objective
is to “protect the exposed”. This involves notifying occupants of the building,
providing avenues for egress and protecting in-place occupants (Watson, 2000).
Heat of the fire is not the main reason for injuries and deaths, rather the toxic fumes
from smoke; this makes it extraordinarily important to evacuate occupants from
a building where fire has occurred (CWC, 2000).
Fire safety management is plagued with faulty design issues, due to an ineffective
correlation between design and fire safety management plans. The fire protection
engineer does not consider the operational issues that could take place in the facility,
while the facilities manager does not fully comprehend the design and operation of fire
safety systems. Additionally, issues of human behaviour and occupants characteristics
are usually not considered in designing fire safety systems, in the fire safety
management plan, or in both cases (Meacham, 1999). Thus there is a need to strike a
balance between fire safety design and fire safety management to achieve as minimal
risk as possible (CWC, 2002).
5. Evaluation of fire safety provisions
The overall appraisal of building fire safety has not received enough attention.
The primary focus is usually on the performance of selected fire safety systems.
Frank et al. (2014), for example, focused on the effectiveness of sprinkler systems in
New Zealand. The losses due to a fire are however not exclusively attributed to the
performance of these safety systems, but rather a combination of various factors. Aside
the performance of fire safety systems provided in buildings, issues such as human
behaviour, occupants’ characteristics and the building’s spatial characteristics and
design should be put in the right perspective. The aim of evaluating a building’s
fire safety performance is to assess the building’s compliance with fire safety codes and
ascertaining a satisfactory level of maintenance with building systems (Santos-Reyes
and Beards, 2001).
A key step in this process is to ensure the existence of an effective emergency
management plan to avoid and/or reduce deaths and injuries in the event of occupants’
evacuation of a building on fire. Facility managers and building maintenance
professionals consider the evacuation system as the most important aspect of fire
safety management of buildings; this is because fire risk is probabilistic and thus
cannot be completely eliminated (Lo and Cheng, 2003).
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6. Code provisions however can prove to be too restrictive. This has led to many
countries adopting a performance-based fire safety design approach. Such an approach
uses computer-based evacuation simulation models as quantification tools to help
architects to adjust their building layout at the beginning of the design. It also aids fire
officials, building managers and hazard control officials in taking proper measures to
plan and control the evacuation flow in the case of a fire accident (Yuan et al., 2009).
A comprehensive review of 30 building evacuation models was published by
Kuligowski et al. (2005). Common simulation tools include; EXODUS, SIMULEX,
EGRESS, EXIT, EVACSIM and EVACNET (Yuan et al., 2009).
6. Previous studies
Several studies have been carried out to evaluate fire safety of buildings of various
occupancies. Some of these studies have focused on the comparison of real life
evacuation exercises to results derived from computer simulations. These studies vary
in nature of occupancy such as adult and children occupancies and also in the type of
buildings studied. Klüpfel et al. (2003) and Ulriksen and Dederichs (2014) employed this
comparative method. The objective of these two studies was to validate model
assumptions and simulation results with a real life evacuation exercise that focuses on
children. The specific advantage of such an approach is to identify the extent at which
computer simulations represent real life scenarios and consequently the level of
reliability of such simulations. Though a novel approach, the overall fire safety of a
building depends on other factors other than the total egress time which is the focal
point of these studies. Another weakness of such an approach is that the ideal case is
usually assumed, that is a situation where occupants are fully prepared to evacuate the
building at the sound of the alarm, since they have been informed that it is an exercise,
and all hazards and obstructions have been removed.
Lo et al. (2006) further reinforced the fact that physical movement of people and
boundary geometry are the parameters usually considered in computer simulations,
while behavioural rules are largely ignored. An example of such study was carried out
by Tashrifullahi and Hassanain (2013) with the use of EVACNET4 and FPETool to
determine the optimal evacuation time of a university library facility in Saudi Arabia.
In this study the results of two simulation tools have been compared, this offers the
advantage of having two evacuation times, a minimum and a maximum value. Aside
from not giving consideration to occupants’ behaviour, it is a study of the occupants’
optimal evacuation time, ignoring all other factors that ensures the overall fire safety of
the library, such as the estimate of fire load density in the building to control the
possibility of fire occurrences. Khorasani et al. (2014) presented probabilistic models to
predict the fire load density in office buildings. The study concluded that both fire load
density and maximum temperature probabilistic models are well suited for application
in a probabilistic performance-based approach to fire design. This approach is equally
limited to an aspect of the overall fire safety.
While computer simulations are popular in investigating evacuation patterns and
time, some researchers have relied solely on real life simulations. Chen et al. (2013)
presented the results obtained from a student evacuation experiment performed in
a four-story building at Tsinghua University. The observations were made using digital
videos and CCTV cameras. Considerable density, speed and flow rate data at exits and in
stairwells were obtained, analysed and compared with data from SFPE Handbooks. The
study investigated occupants’ familiarity, distribution and movement within the
building. It can be argued that this study presents a real life understanding of occupants’
358
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7. behaviour under emergency compared to a computer simulation. It highlights the fact
that human behaviour varies with physical features, cultural backgrounds, habits
and emergency training and thus cannot be assumed to be universal. It can be of great
value if such exercises are repeated and used to form a database of occupants’ behaviour.
The study does not however justify this claim by comparing its results with a computer
simulation. This study like other studies is also limited occupants’ evacuation during
an emergency.
Other researchers have established models for estimating the minimum time for
emergency evacuation. Lo et al. (2006) presented a model that demonstrated that the
interaction of evacuees influences the evacuation pattern and clearance time of a multi-
exit zone. Lin et al. (2008) established a multi-stage time-varying quickest flow
approach to estimate the minimal clearance time for evacuating the occupants of a
building in an emergency situation. Di Gangi (2013) presented a model for the design of
escape routes based on a comparative analysis of the evacuation time of various
alternatives. The model was used to identify critical points for the evacuation from the
building, as well as validate effective evacuation plans. These models, as is the case
with computer simulations, ignore other fire safety management objectives while they
focus on the optimum time for evacuation.
Assessment checklists tailored according to code requirements have been developed
to facilitate fire safety inspections of various facilities. These assessment checklists
include indicators pertaining to causes of fire, fire detection and notification system, fire
suppression and extinguishing systems, egress and evacuation systems and
management and maintenance measures (Hassanain and Hafeez, 2005; Hassanain,
2008b). These checklist assessments are carried out regularly onsite by qualified
evaluators, and thus provide qualitative data of operating performance of fire safety
systems, maintenance and housekeeping and compliance with safety code
requirements. However, these studies ignore practical evaluation of the effectiveness
of occupants’ evacuation in the case of an emergency.
Ranking techniques have been used in several studies as well. Chow (2002) proposed
a fire safety ranking system for assessing the fire safety provisions in existing high-rise
non-residential buildings in Hong Kong. Zhao et al. (2004) also presented a simulation
approach for establishing the ranking of fire safety attributes, which in turn is used to
establish a comparison of different buildings for fire safety. Chen et al. (2012) proposed a
fire management plan by adopting three fire safety strategies for the overall safety of
existing multipurpose hotels, combining the Delphi and AHP methods and concluding
that this technique could help improve the fire safety of buildings. Ranking techniques
present the specific advantage of classifying buildings into different safety categories,
and subsequently recommending the appropriate safety measures. Likewise, checklist
assessments, practical assessments of the occupants’ emergency evacuation are ignored.
In a bid to offer more integrative approaches to fire safety assessment, as is the case
with this paper, Copping (2004) presented a protocol for an integrative assessment of fire
safety for historic buildings. In it, two outcomes are produced: a fire safety assessment for
life safety and an independent assessment of the vulnerability of the property to fire.
Their study is an integration of objectives rather than approaches. Also, Yuan et al. (2009)
presented an integration of two network approaches to emergency evacuation which
provides detailed evacuation information for the critical location of the building. It
identifies potential crowding at exits and thus allows building designers to make the
required modification to their designs for an effective evacuation process. Also,
Rao (2014) presented the model “CUrisk” to investigate how building design conditions
359
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8. affect evacuation efficiency in a fire emergency. CUrisk has the advantage of providing
four different categories of evacuation times and it also take into consideration all fire
safety strategies. The study assumed which fire suppression systems will be active
rather than an actual onsite evaluation. Park et al. (2015) presented a conceptual
framework to facilitate better incorporation of building fire safety performance options
into the building design process. Moving away from the evaluation of fire protection
measures. Park et al. (2015) took into consideration building design (architectural)
features and occupant characteristics. The study proposed a quantitative model utilizing
the parameter ranking method and weighted sum method as a tool to help evaluate
building fire safety performance and to assist decision-making process of developing fire
safety design solutions.
The above surveyed studies have described several approaches to fire safety
assessment. The strengths and limitations of these studies have been presented. In
general, none of these studies presents an integrative fire safety assessment of the
residential environment through the combination of two or more approaches directed
towards the three fire safety objectives. This study is meant to demonstrate this
concept through a case study.
7. Case study
The use of case studies provides real information and greater depth of qualitative data.
The case study for this research is a student dormitory managed by a university within
its campus in Dhahran, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A student dormitory was
selected as a case study due to its being a high risk facility. Also the occurrence of a fire
hazard in a student housing facility is more severe compared to other facilities on
campus. The building selected for this study is relatively new, L-shaped and consists of
three floors with 26 rooms on each floor of double occupancy, 3 washrooms on each
floor, 3 stairwells and 4 exits. The dimensions of each room are 4.8 metres by 5.2 metres
(25 square metres) and floor to floor height of 3.5 metres. The building is classified
according to IBC (2012) as R-2 occupancy: this is a residential occupancy containing
sleeping units or more than two dwelling units where the occupants are primarily
permanent in nature, such as boarding houses, dormitories, apartment houses, etc.
The floor plans for the building were obtained from the university’s student housing
administrative department (see Figure 2).
7.1 Assessment checklist design and administration
The IBC (2012) provides minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety
and general welfare of the occupants of new and existing buildings and structures. The
IBC applies to all types of buildings and occupancies except exempted. The IBC
classifies buildings based on use and occupancy, thus for this research the residential
group R-2 was referenced. The minimum safety requirements identified were classified
under three categories according to the fire safety management objectives, these are:
preventing the occurrence of fire; controlling the spread of fire; and protecting
occupants. Additional resources have been consulted such as fire safety assessment
checklists and previous literature to identify other potential fire safety requirements.
The results of this exercise formed the basis for a checklist presented in Tables I-III.
The questions for the assessment are presented in the “description” column. IBC code
requirements are also provided to support the questions where applicable.
The developed checklist was thus used to carry out the assessment of the student
housing facility. This was done by moving from the upper floors to the lower floors and
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9. from wing to wing within the building. Whenever safety requirements are fulfilled a
tick was made in the “yes” column, and when not fulfilled in the “no” column. A digital
camera was used to capture still images supporting the checklist assessment. Relevant
interviews were also carried out with maintenance and safety personnel of the student
housing administrative department. The results of the interviews were checked on the
checklist. It was a simple interview to cover issues that could not be observed by the
fire safety assessor, e.g. “Do you have an up to date fire safety policy?”
7.2 Checklist observations and findings
7.2.1 Preventing the occurrence of fire. The checklist assessment for the fire safety
objective “preventing the occurrence of fire” is presented in Table I. Under the section
“control ignition sources”, it is observed that electrical installations were observed to be
properly installed with correctly rated fuses and are kept tidy. Other issues regarding
safe installation, testing and signage of electrical equipment where observed to be
satisfactory. However, the use of temporary wiring, multipoint adaptors and occupants’
smoking in their rooms which are potential risks to fire safety where also observed.
Temporary wiring through the use of exterior cords and multipoint adaptors could
result in friction and ignition if overloaded or handled carelessly, while smoking is one
of the major causes of fires in student housing facilities. Proper signage of switches and
electrical provisions are well observed.
DS03.001
100mm WIDE, 900mm HIGH
PAINTED FAIR FACE CONCRETE CURB
WP04.001
ELECTRONICALLY
OPERATED
SLIDING DOORS
DS01.001
DS02.001
WP11.001
DS04.001
Figure 2.
EVACNET4
network model for
ground floor
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10. As for “controlling fuel characteristics”, it was observed that combustible materials lay
on egress routes and at exits. Although a waste control system is available, it can be
perceived as ineffective. The fire load in rooms is quite substantial, since curtains,
carpets, mattresses and furniture are all made of combustible materials. As regards
controlling fuel/heat interaction by maintaining adequate separation between them, it
is observed that the surrounding area is kept clean; also the students’ housing
Description Yes No Reference
Controlling ignition sources
Do you have an up to date fire safety policy? | IBC (2012)
Has electrical installation been subject to an
insulation test in accordance to regulations?
| Occupational Safety, and Health
Administration (OSHA) (2014)
Are electrical motors kept tidy? | Maintained free from accumulations of oil,
dirt, waste and debris (IBC, 2012)
Is temporary wiring present? | To be attached in an approved manner
(IBC, 2012)
Are all items of electrical equipment working
properly, inspected regularly and fitted with
correctly rated fuses?
| Approved covers shall be provided for all
switch and outlet boxes (IBC, 2012)
Is the use of electrical extension leads and
multipoint adaptors kept to a minimum?
| Except for approved multi-plug extension
cords, each extension cord shall serve only
one portable appliance (IBC, 2012)
Are extension cords in good condition? | Extension cords shall not contain splices or
damage (IBC, 2012)
Are extension cords used to replace permanent
wiring?
| Extension cords shall not be a substitute for
permanent wiring and shall not be affixed to
structures, extended through walls, ceilings
or floors (IBC, 2012)
Are cables and leads run in safe places to protect
tripping hazards and damage to cable and leads?
| OSHA (2014)
Are isolators and mains electricity switches
clearly signed?
| Doors shall be marked with a plainly visible
and legible sign stating “ELECTRICAL
ROOM” (IBC, 2012)
Is smoking prohibited, or is there a smoking
area?
| IBC (2012)
Control fuel characteristics
Is there a waste control system and is it working
to keep the space clear of combustible waste and
rubbish?
| Storage of combustible materials in buildings
shall be maintained in a neat, orderly manner
(IBC, 2012)
Are there combustible materials on exits? | Combustible material shall not be stored in
exits or exit enclosures (IBC, 2012)
Are curtains made of incombustible materials? | Curtains, draperies, hangings and other
decorative material shall be flame resistant or
be non-combustible (IBC, 2012)
Control fuel/Heat interaction by maintaining adequate separation
Are all occupants instructed to keep their space
tidy?
| IBC (2012)
Is there adequate separation between heat
sources and storage/combustibles?
| Storage shall be separated from heaters or
heating devices by distance or shielding so
that ignition cannot occur (IBC, 2012)
Are all areas outside the premises kept clear of
waste and combustible materials?
| IBC (2012)
Are all heaters fitted with suitable guard and
kept away from combustible material?
| IBC (2012)
Table I.
Preventing
occurrence of fire
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11. administrative department requires occupants to keep their rooms tidy. It is also
observed that occupants keep heat sources such as electric kettles and water pipes
which pose risk of a fire hazard considering the amount of fire load in rooms.
7.2.2 Controlling the spread of fire. Table II presents the results for the checklist
assessment of the second fire safety objective “control spread of fire”. In the section
“detect fire through heat, smoke and flame detectors”, observations show that
all requirements are satisfactory. Smoke alarms are available at the middle of
hallways and are in good working condition as indicated by a blinking red light. In
the section “control combustion”, it is observed that there is sufficient fire fighting
appliances in the premises. Though there are no sprinkler systems available in the
building, there is sufficient amount of fire extinguishers, which are easily accessible,
properly colour coded and regularly tested and certified for quality. Stand-pipes, hose
reels and hydrants are also sufficiently provided at desired locations and are
regularly tested and in good condition. Staffs are also well trained on the use of
this equipment.
7.2.3 Protecting occupants. The results for the fire safety assessment for the third
fire safety objective “protect exposed building occupants” is presented in Table III.
Description Yes No Reference
Detect fire (Heat, smoke and flame detectors)
Are there smoke alarms available and are
they operational?
| Smoke alarms shall be installed in existing
dwelling units (IBC, 2012)
Control combustion
Are there sufficient fire fighting
appliances throughout the premises?
| IBC (2012)
Are there sprinkler systems available? | An automatic sprinkler system shall be
provided throughout all buildings with a
group R fire area (IBC, 2012)
Are fire extinguishers positioned properly
and located near to sites of high fire risk?
| One 2A fire extinguisher per 6,000 sq. ft. in
low hazard (offices) and one 2A per 3,000 sq. ft.
in a moderate hazard (R-1, R-2 and R-4 only)
(IBC, 2012)
Are fire extinguishers easily accessible
from any location within the building?
| Maximum travel distance to a fire
extinguisher is 75 feet (IBC, 2012)
Are there portable extinguishers of the
correct type for the fire risk and properly
colour coded?
| IBC (2012)
Are fire extinguishers stored in cabinet or
on hangers?
| Hand-held portable fire extinguishers, not
housed in cabinets, shall be installed on
hangers or brackets supplied (IBC, 2012)
Are all fire fighting appliances certified for
quality, and is the last date of inspection
displayed on the extinguisher?
| Fire extinguishers shall be serviced annually
and shall have a current service tag attached
(IBC, 2012)
Is there sufficient offset of walls from fire
extinguisher?
| A 3-foot clear space shall be maintained
around the circumference of fire hydrants
(IBC, 2012)
Are all fire extinguishers, hose reels and
sprinkler systems regularly tested?
| IBC (2012)
Have employees been instructed on when
to use equipment?
| IBC (2012) Table II.
Control spread of fire
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12. Description Yes No Reference
Notify occupants
Are there fire alarms available and are they
operational?
| To be installed in existing Group R-2
apartment buildings with more than three
stories or with more than 16 dwelling or
sleeping units (IBC, 2012)
Does the building require an electrical or
automatic fire alarm, and does it have back-
up power?
| IBC (2012)
Can the alarm be heard throughout the
building?
| IBC (2012)
Are the fire alarm points clearly visible and
unobstructed?
| IBC (2012)
Is the fire alarm connected to a monitoring
station that contacts the fire brigade?
| IBC (2012)
Are maintenance staffs been trained in how
to operate the fire alarm system?
| IBC (2012)
Provide avenues for egress
Are there sufficient exits of suitable width
for people likely to be present?
| Two exits or exit access doorways from any
space in Group R shall be provided if the
occupant load of the space exceeds
10 persons (IBC, 2012)
Are escape routes and exits, the locations of
fire fighting equipment and emergency fire
telephones indicated by appropriate signs?
| Exit signs are required in rooms or areas
which require two or more exits (IBC, 2012)
Is the visibility of exit signs along corridor
satisfactory?
| Exit sign placement shall be such that no
point in an exit access corridor is more than
100 feet from the nearest visible exit sign
(IBC, 2012)
Is exit sign illumination operational? | Exit signs shall be internally or externally
illuminated at all times. In existing
buildings approved self-luminous signs may
be used (IBC, 2012)
Are there fire, emergency and evacuation
procedures in place which are:
Readily available and displayed?
Approved by fire and rescue service?
Reviewed at least annually or when they
may become invalid?
| In Group R-2 occupancies, each tenant shall
be given a copy of the emergency guide
prior to occupancy (IBC, 2012)
Are exit routes continuous? | Exits shall be continuous from the point of
entry into the exit to the exit discharge
(IBC, 2012)
Are all fire exit routes and the points of exits
(including stairways and corridors) from the
building clear of obstructions?
| Obstruction to exits shall not be placed in
the required width and exits shall not be
obstructed in any manner (IBC, 2012)
Are all floor surfaces and stairs on escape
routes free from tripping and slipping
hazards?
| IBC (2012)
Are all fire resisting self-closing doors on
escape routes clearly labelled, closing fully,
in good state of repair and not wedged open?
| IBC (2012)
(continued)
Table III.
Protect exposed
building occupants
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13. In the section of “notifying occupants” it is observed that fire alarms are tested every
six months and are provided at mid-distances of hallways in every wing of the building
so it can be heard by all occupants within the building and its surroundings. A visit to
the safety department confirmed that fire alarms are connected to a monitoring station
which is in turn connected to the fire brigade office. Pull stations are also located at
exits, clearly visible and unobstructed.
Observations made in the section “provide avenues for egress” show that exit routes
have suitable width, and fire fighting equipment are present and properly signed. Exit
signs are also available, but not illuminated. Also there is no existence of an emergency
evaluation procedure displayed in the building. The exit routes are also observed to be
Description Yes No Reference
Are escape routes adequately lit and is all
lighting on escape routes operational?
| The means of egress, including the exit
discharge, shall be illuminated at all times
the building space served by the means of
egress is occupied (IBC, 2012)
Is the width of the exit route constant? | The required capacity of means of egress
shall not be diminished (reduced) along the
path of egress travel (IBC, 2012)
Is emergency lightning tested regularly and
all test recorded?
| IBC (2012)
Is there back-up power for emergency
lightning?
| In the event of power supply failure, exit
illumination shall be automatically provided
from an emergency system except where the
guest room or living unit has direct access to
the outside at grade level (IBC, 2012)
Do all exits lead to a place of safety? | Exterior exit doors shall lead directly to the
exit discharge or the public way (IBC, 2012)
Are steps and stairs in a good state of repair? | IBC (2012)
Are final exit routes always unlocked when
the premises is in use?
| Entrance doors in Group R-1, R-2
occupancies shall not be secured from the
egress side during period that the building
is open to the general public (IBC, 2012)
Are devices securing final exits capable of
being opened immediately and easily
without a key-push bar?
| Egress doors shall be openable from the
egress side without the use of a key or
special knowledge or effort (IBC, 2012)
Are self-closers on fire doors operating
correctly?
| Door closer shall exert enough force to close
and latch the door from any partially open
position (IBC, 2012)
Do exit doors have sufficient width? | Doorways shall not be less than 32 inch in
clear width (IBC, 2012)
Do the doors on escape routes open in the
direction of travel?
| Doors shall swing in the direction of egress
travel where serving an occupant load of 50
or more persons (IBC, 2012)
Protect occupants in place
Have measures been taken to ensure that
smoke and flames do not spread from one
part of the building to another?
| IBC (2012)
Are there fire doors/smoke barriers
available?
| Fire doors and smoke barrier doors shall not
be blocked or obstructed or otherwise made
inoperable (IBC, 2012) Table III.
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14. continuous with constant width, well light with back-up power for emergency lighting,
though some bulbs are no longer operational. Three of four major exits that lead to a
place of safety have obstructions due to faulty design while fire resisting doors on
egress routes are kept partially open. The main exit is designed with an electronically
operated sliding door that is a potential source of overcrowding and bottlenecks since it
is not connected to the fire alarm. Two other exits at the wings of the building leading
to point of destination DS03.001 and DS04.001 (see Figure 2) have 900 mm high
concrete curbs as shown in the drawing, this is also a potential source of obstruction
during evacuation. The doors on exit routes open in the direction of travel with a push
bar mechanism, the self-closers are operational and they have sufficient widths.
In the section “protect occupants in place”, it is observed that the removal of false
ceiling panels damaged by mould formation due to leakages from the HVAC system is
observed; this will allow smoke and flames to spread from affected areas of the building
in the case of a fire to other areas, jeopardizing compartmentalization and the efficiency
of the fire resistant doors.
7.3 Evacuation simulation using EVACNET4
EVACNET4 is a movement optimization model and has the limitation of not
incorporating occupants’ pre-movement time and occupants’ behaviour. Models that
incorporate occupants’ behaviour do not show areas of congestion and bottlenecks
during an evacuation which are necessary to study the buildings spatial and
architectural influence on fire safety (see Kuligowski, 2004). EVACNET4 was selected
due to it being a user friendly, interactive computer programme, in addition to: its
availability for public use; flexibility to handle any type and size of building; and it
determines the optimal building evacuation plan.
The floor plans acquired from the student housing administrative department were
used to develop a network description model of the building in accordance to
EVACNET4 user’s guide (Kisko et al., 1998). The network model for the ground
floor is presented in Figure 2. A network description model consists of nodes and arcs.
Nodes represent defined spaces containing occupants at the time of evacuation, such as:
rooms (WP); hallways (HA); stairs (SW); lobbies (LO); and evacuation destinations (DS).
Arcs represent passages between nodes on the path of egress. The number of people in a
node at the initiation of evacuation: “initial content” (IC) for each node must be specified
as well as the “node capacity” (NC) which is the upper limit on the number of people that
can be contained in the node. The NC, Dynamic Capacity (DC) and Traversal Times (TT)
are calculated using formulas presented in EVACNET4 user’s guide (Kisko et al., 1998).
The following are the data used to execute the model:
• level of service (nodes and arcs) ¼ Queuing level A;
• IC ¼ 2;
• usable area ¼ 9 m2
(for rooms);
• average pedestrian area occupancy ¼ 1.2 m2
/person or more;
• average inter-person spacing ¼ 1.22 m, or more;
• seconds per time period ¼ 5 seconds;
• TT ¼ varies;
• DC ¼ varies;
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15. • width restriction ¼ Actual width of door way – 0.31 m;
• average flow volume ¼ 2.17 PMM (Persons per metre minute) or less; and
• average speed ¼ 79.25 m/min.
Table IV shows the summary of EVACNET4 simulation results with a total evacuation
time of 190 seconds which is considered as satisfactory since the maximum time
allowed for evacuation is 300 seconds. The table also shows that it takes 76 seconds for
an evacuee to evacuate the facility and 55 seconds for uncongested evacuation.
The evacuation routes at the wings from the lobbies to exit destinations (see Figure 2):
LO02.001-DS03.001; and LO03.001-DS04.001 resulted into bottlenecks which will last for
65 seconds and 95 seconds, respectively. Even more critical is the evacuation route:
LO01.002-SW02.002 which is the passage between the lobby on the first floor to the
stairwell that leads to the major exit (DS01.001) and exit DS02.001 on the ground floor,
the potential bottleneck at this point could last for 170 seconds. The implication of these
results becomes more critical when the number of evacuees that will probably choose
these routes for evacuation is considered. The destination allocation presented in Table V
shows that 92 evacuees (who represent 53 per cent of the total number of evacuees) will
probably evacuate through major exit DS01.001. The next most favourable exit
destination is DS04.01 and then DS04.03 with 42 and 30 probable evacuees, respectively.
Furthermore, these results are based on the assumption that the routes to these exit
destinations will be functional and kept unobstructed. However observations from the
checklist assessment highlight potential obstructions on the routes to these exit
destinations. The major exit (DS01.001) has been designed with a double electronically
operated sliding door that has an isolation chamber, which is a consideration for energy
efficiency. This design however could create delays and potential bottlenecks during an
evacuation process. Though in some cases, electronically operated sliding doors stay
open during a power outage and when the fire alarm triggers. Observations made from
the checklist assessment also show that the wing exits DS03.001 and DS04.001 have
narrow widths and a 900 mm high “painted fair face concrete curb” at the exit door
which is a potential obstruction. Thus these exit routes should be considered as faulty
design from the perspective of fire safety. This should be modified in the current and
avoided in future designs.
Description Time (sec)
Maximum time allowed for evacuation 300
Time to evacuate building 190
Time for uncongested building evacuation 55
Average time for an evacuee to evacuate 76
Table IV.
Summary of
EVACNET4 results
Destination Code No. of evacuees
DS01.001 92
DS02.001 10
DS03.001 30
DS04.001 42
Table V.
EVACNET4
destination
allocaion results
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16. This type of observation of critical locations of the building attained through an
integrative process will help building designers make the required modification to their
designs for an effective evacuation process, and also facility managers validate
effective emergency evacuation plans. Ultimately, the facility manager is able to
manage the facility more effectively through decisions made by integrating two or
more assessment methods.
8. Discussion
Different approaches are employed in evaluating fire safety of facilities. Some of these
include evaluations based on: code requirements; computer simulations of evacuation
times; and ranking techniques. Risk however cannot be totally eliminated and thus a
completely fire safe building does not exist! Previous studies assert that the use of more
integrative processes will enable a holistic view to be considered when deriving fire
safety strategies, these studies however did not take into consideration the combination
of two or more approaches rather a combination of objectives or a focus on one of the
fire safety management objectives is what has been witnessed. The main idea of our
research is to show that having more approaches employed in fire safety assessment,
will reduce the assumptions that are made. An assumption that was avoided in this
study is “fire resistant doors at exit routes being operational and unobstructed at all
times”. This is based on literature that confirms that the design configuration of the
majority of student housing facilities could cause escape problems due to overcrowding
and chaos found at exit routes and while going down stairwells (Hassanain, 2008b).
This research presents a three-storey student housing facility as a case study to
represent an integrated assessment. This assessment employs the use of a checklist
(Tables I-III) tailored according to the minimum requirements of the IBC (2012) for fire
safety. The checklist was used to assess the design and maintenance of fire safety
provisions. Interviews were also conducted with safety and maintenance staff of the
campus housing administrative department. A computer simulation tool EVACNET4
was used to determine the minimum evacuation time and evacuation pattern of the case
study. The evacuation simulation was an ideal case, meaning that all occupants are
able bodied and ready to evacuate the building at the sound of the alarm. The checklist
observations and evacuation simulation are two independent approaches. The results
of both approaches were integrated to identify potential conflicting as well as
corroborating issues.
Major issues in the architectural design, building systems design, housekeeping and
facilities maintenance management where highlighted in the integrated results. The
design of exit doors was considered as a faulty design from the perspective of fire
safety. Exit doors have been designed with obstructions which result in bottlenecks
during evacuation, while waste bins littering passages and exit routes are due to poor
housekeeping. These issues are not assessed with simulation software, and are
identified through physical observations. EVACNET4 destination allocation results in
Table V shows the major exit that would probably be selected by evacuees during an
evacuation process. Egress destination DS01.001 is a critical location in the building
and should be kept unobstructed and fully operational, it was identified to be a source
of potential delays and crowding.
The building fulfils most of the code requirements in its design and maintenance,
except for three of four exit doors that could cause congestion due to its design. Also
issues like waste control and housekeeping in general needs to be more emphasized. The
results of the simulation also show that the building can be evacuated in adequate time.
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17. 9. Conclusions
The evaluation of fire risk is not a new field; studies have been carried out on varying
types of facilities with varying levels of fire load, sources of ignition and occupancy.
These assessments have employed different approaches which highlight different
features and ignore others, issues of human behaviour, mobility, occupancy profile all
need to be put into consideration to achieve the minimal risk possible, since no facility is
completely fire safe. Though fire is not a daily occurrence in student housing facilities, if
it does occur it leaves live long scars and affects the campus community and the nation
as a whole. Therefore to prevent and control the occurrence of fire and thus improve fire
safety, comprehensive and innovative techniques should be employed. An integration of
multiple methods will present holistic results for building design and management.
This study presents relevant literature and previous studies pertaining to fire safety,
especially in student housing facilities. It follows that with the results of a checklist
assessment tailored to the requirements of the IBC (2012) and an evacuation simulation
tool (EVACNET4) applied to a student housing facility as a case study. Though a case
study presents more qualitative information on a subject, its results cannot be
generalized since each case study has its own unique characteristics. Also, this research
is delimited to two approaches: checklist assessment; and evacuation simulation which is
sufficient to show the potential benefits of a combined approach to fire safety assessment.
A real life simulation of evacuation can however be investigated as a follow up paper.
Fire safety provisions were found to be adequate in the student housing facility, and
the building can also be evacuated safely in about 190 seconds should a fire occur.
Issues regarding exit doors that might cause potential overcrowding and bottlenecks
were however identified. Though only two approaches to fire safety has been employed
in this study, it is believed that expanding the scope to cover other approaches would
provide more interesting results. Such integrated methods will reduce the risk and
consequence of a fire hazard to the least extent possible. This is of potential value to all
stakeholders of the built environment.
Thus, this study recommends the adoption of more comprehensive techniques
which takes into consideration two or more approaches to fire safety assessment and
management. Lessons learnt from such assessments should be transferred as feed
forward to improve future design and management of student housing facilities.
Architects, builders and facility managers can use results from such holistic
assessments to enhance the overall safety of the residential environment.
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Corresponding author
Dr Mohammad A. Hassanain can be contacted at: mohhas@kfupm.edu.sa
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