4.6.0 Introduction

Fire precautions are relevant for all aspects of the fuel cell installation, from the hydrogen generation, processing, storage, and piping, to the fuel cells.  A fire can often lead to an explosion and, by the same token, an explosion can initiate a fire.  It is important, therefore, that a fire and explosion risk assessment be carried out as a single exercise that considers all the fire and explosion hazards that can arise.

Fire precautions are often referred to as process fire precautions (PFP) and general fire precautions (GFP).  PFP are special precautions that are required for the work activity being undertaken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire occurring or to limit the extent of the fire.  GFP are those basic measures taken to ensure people’s safety in the event of a fire, e.g. general measures to prevent fire, means of escape, provision of fire extinguishers, fire detection and alarms and staff training.  General fire precautions for the workplace are set out in the Workplace Directive (89/654/EEC) [50], which specifies the minimum requirements for health and safety.