- Subject: Proposal for the research project: industrial fire safety
- The need to train safety-engineering students on fire protection is a measure that should be implemented in an attempt to reduce fires and their destructive implications in industries. It is important to note that industries in any given country generate wealth, create jobs, and promote trade (Kniivilä 295).
- Although the concept of fire and safety exist in most industries worldwide, it is not effectively implemented mainly because of ignorance and the inability of industries to strictly adhere to the standard fire operating standards as stipulated in NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) of USA codes and Fire Safety British Standards (Malik 102).
- Fire accidents and incidents may be categorized based on the underlying causes; there are basically two types of industrial fires: natural fire and man-made or human error fire. Although fires in the industries may result from varying causes, statistics point out human carelessness as the number one cause (U.S. Fire Administration 3).
- Training safety-engineering students on fire protection will go a long way in reducing industrial fires due to human error, as these students comprise the next generation of engineers and people working in the industries.
- This subject directly affects my future career as an engineer working in industries as I could one day use the knowledge garnered to reduce, prevent, and manage industrial fires, thereby reducing losses due.
- Recommendation, Possible Solutions, Tentative Thesis
- Tentative thesis: human error is the principal cause of fires in industries today and therefore training of all safety-engineering students on fire safety, prevention, and management would be an invaluable measure in tackling this problem.
- Recommendations and Solutions:
- Safety engineering students constitute the next generation of the industrial workforce, training them on fire safety and prevention constitutes taking a giant step towards the reduction of industrial fires, especially those that owe their origin to human error.
- It is more convenient and more so less costly to train safety-engineering students about fire prevention compared to training the current industrial workforce on the same. More important is the fact that these students are still in educational programs, their minds are still fresh and can easily take in new information and therefore it is technically viable to train them.
Supporting Data:
- The United States Fire Administration and National Fire Data Centre statistics show that human error contributes to the principal cause of fires not only in industries but also in homes, residential areas, and other areas.
- Research shows that training employees on new fire risks and conducting drilling programs can effectively reduce fire risks in the industry. This training and drilling when the employees-to-be are still at the student stage could not be more effective.
- According to a research study dubbed Fire and Safety Culture Development Issues and Causes of Fires in Industries of Pakistan (Malik 2013), industrial fires are attributed to human mistakes. The research also states that the majority of these industries are investing in employee education on fire prevention as a means of curbing this issue.
- My Qualifications, Knowledge, and Interests in Policing Technology
- Qualifications/Knowledge:
- In my entire college education, I have taken numerous courses and units on industrial safety and more so I have taken a keen interest to study fire as an industrial hazard.
- I have attended several engineering workshops on industrial hazards, their causes, and ways of taming them.
- During my college education, I have worked as a part-time employee in several industries, noted down the major incidence of fires, and traced down their root causes to human mistakes.
- Interests:
- My interest in fire safety spurs from the fact that I am a safety-engineering student planning to take employment in industries in the future and I have concerns over human life and property.
- As someone who has worked in a number of industries before, even though on a part-time basis, I have witnessed numerous counts of fire in these places, and being a natural solution seeker I have chosen to tackle the issue by the horns.
- As an aspiring engineer, one of the core concerns is safety in the workplace and as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure” I am interested in preventing the occurrence rather than dealing with the consequences.
- Work Accomplished, Preliminary Findings, Methods, Materials
- Work Accomplished:
- I am researching this issue and based my study on reliable sources.
- I am reading abstracts and looking for the most useful information possible
- I am using journals and reports from industrial safety publications as my main sources of information with Google scholar and ProQuest as the two main research engines. The main research terms are “cause of industry fires” and “reducing industry fires”.
- Preliminary Finding:
- Background information in this research emanates from four sources
- The US Fire Administration and National Fire Data Center have offered critical information on the subject
- During the findings, the portion of the source of the material was reviewed and a background picture was formed to base the report off.
- Methods and Materials:
- As one of the fact-finding techniques of this report, several interviews will be undertaken with industry experts and experts from the fire administration department.
- Cited Material found so far in the research are listed on the works cited page
- This research will be centered on educational and governmental resources as well as cohort studies on the subject.
- Plans for Completion of the Work Remaining
- Further research on the subject is still being done with academic databases and the library being taken as useful resources.
- There will be four interviews to be conducted with industry experts and fire Administration officials.
- Schedule plans for completion:
- Mar 20: Completion of preliminary Report Proposal
- Mar 22-24: conducting interviews
- Mar 25-27: compilation of interview reports
- Mar 31- Apr 14: Compilation of the Final report
- The full report needs to be completed in time to allow for editing and proofreading.
- Use of the writing center
- Positive Implications, Future Consequences, Benefits, Results
- This research will have a positive bearing on students at Indiana State University directly should choose to pursue careers in safety engineering.
- This research will lead to the creation of a fire safety conscious industrial workforce in the future
- There will be reduced fire incidences in industries due to human error in the future, as the workforce will be well equipped with the basics of fire prevention.
- There will be reduced expenditure by industries in terms of employee training and drilling as the new workforce will be already equipped with the information.
- Reduced fire incidences in industries will reduce company losses; this will transform into profits and thereby contribute to the growth of the economy.
- There will be a reduced employee turnover rate in industries since the working environment will be safer.
Works Cited
Human Factors in Reliability Group. “Improving Compliance With Safety Procedures: Reducing Industrial Violations.” Feasibility Report. 1995.
Kniivilä, Matleena. “Industrial development and economic growth: Implications for poverty reduction and income inequality.” Affairs., United Nations. Department of Economic and Social and United Nations. Commission on Sustainable Development. Industrial development for the 21st century: sustainable development perspectives. New York: United Nations, 2007. 422.
Malik, Muhammad Akram. “Fire and Safety Culture Development Issues and Causes of Fires in Industries of Pakistan.” Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business. Vol 4, No 10 (2013): 101-112.
U.S. Fire Administration. Fire in the United States 2003-2007. Periodic Safety report. Washington DC: Federal Emergency Management Agency: FEMA, 2009.