Unattended Processes

Processes which are run unattended for significant periods of time, either within or outside of normal working hours are becoming increasingly common in various industries, examples of which include: -

• Plastic injection moulding

• Engineering processes such as spark erosion, machining, gear cutting, etc... on highly sophisticated CNC machines

• Firing of pottery and similar operations

• Food Industry - baking

• Printing

• Laboratory processes

As well as full overnight unattended operations, items of plant such as ovens will often be left on idle running, or are timed to fire up automatically during silent hours in readiness for the commencement of production at the beginning of the working day.

As part of the survey of a manufacturing facility it is important that proper enquires are made in order that significant unattended process operations are identified, with particular emphasis on overnight running. Where this is encountered an effective risk assessment shall be carried out and full details included in the report as to the precise nature of the plant/process involved, the frequency and the hours entailed. Attention also needs to be given to assessing all fire protection/prevention measures which are in place and, where deficient, that suitable risk improvements are made, such as for the provision of local fire suppression systems, fire compartmentation, the installation of fire detection, or, in extreme cases, the provision of sprinklers. Judgements concerning active and passive fire protection measures will normally be governed mainly by on the inherent hazards of the process or plant involved and the combined MD/BI exposure, although other factors such as the nature and extent of process controls and the presence of planned maintenance of the plant in question will need to be analysed.

In response to market concerns arising from adverse loss experience of fires involving such processes, the RISCAuthority has published RC42: Fire Safety of Unattended Processes. This should be adopted by Consultants as “best practice” and the guidance contained in this document followed where appropriate.

Additional RISCAuthority references:

1.      RC5: Fire Protection of Laboratories

2.      RC29: Recommendations for Spark Erosion Machining (the subject of RiskSTOP Technical Bulletin 10)