Prevention of fires and explosions

Introduction

Fire can occur when flammable material, oxygen and sufficient ignition energy are available. Explosion depends on an atmosphere of a mixture of flammable material with oxygen. The best approach to prevent fires and explosions is to substitute or minimise the use of flammable material. If that is not possible it is important to avoid any source of ignition. The manufacturing, processing or storage of explosives is not covered in this article.

Importance

According to the World Fire Statistics Centre the costs of fires and explosions are estimated at approximately 1 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product per year, with the death toll in…