The Emergency Warning Systems can be categorized as either:

1. A Building Occupant Warning Systems (BOWS)
2. A ‘Sound Systems and Intercom Systems for Emergency Purposes’, previously referred to as an Emergency Warning and Intercommunication System (EWIS)

An Emergency Warning System will consist of the following:

• A manual and automatic alarm activation
• An alert signal, which will include an audible signal or a combination of audible and visible signals (lights/strobes) in areas of high noise. After a pre-determined period of time, the system will automatically switch to an ‘Evacuation’ signal.
• An evacuation signal, which will include an audible signal, or a combination of audible and visible signals, along with automated voice messages instructing the necessary evacuation procedure.
• Ability to allow authorized Fire Wardens or emergency responders to take control and broadcast a verbal emergency public address to all or selected areas of the building via the PA loudspeakers.
• Ability to take manual control of the system if required by authorized Fire Wardens or emergency public responders
• Ability to communicate to one or more Wardens via the Warden Intercommunication Points – EWIS system only

The main point of difference between a Building Occupant Warning Systems and an Emergency Warning and Intercommunication System is the ability to engage in two-way communication via the Warden Intercommunication Points (WIPs). The Building Occupant Warning System does not have this functionality, whereas the Emergency Warning and Intercommunication System does.

EHS

I asked a colleague to explain the difference between about EHS and WHS/OHS and this is how he explained it. If there is an oil spill in the factory, WHS is all about eliminating or minimising the risk to the people.  EHS includes the minimisation or elimination of risk to the environment, e.g. how is the oil disposed of with minimal risk to the environment, how is the spill contained so it doesn’t seep into the ground, etc.  

OHS/WHS

The key difference between OHS and WHS is that the responsibilities are broader and more people are affected.

See this article from PPE.org

What is the difference between OHS and WHS in Australia?

Generally comprises designated people in an organisation who are

• Building wardens
• Deputy Building Wardens
• Area Wardens
• First Aid Personnel
• Fire Wardens
• Specialists, for example chemists
• etc

See Australian Standards

• AS 3745-2010 Planning for emergencies in facilities
• AS 1851-2012 routine service of fire protection systems and equipment AS 1851-2012 Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment

Taken from Essential Safety Measures Maintenance Manual, Victorian building Commission.

The Building Regulations 2006 and Part 11 of the Building Regulations 1994 (the Regulations) prescribe the requirements for maintenance of buildings built on and after 1 July 1994.

Any essential safety measure in Class 1b, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 buildings and places of public entertainment must be maintained, by the owner, to a working condition that enables them to fulfil their purpose and meet the expectations of inspecting authorities.

The Regulations make it mandatory for the building surveyor to list the required essential services on the issuing of the occupancy permit. The level of performance to which the service is to be maintained must also be specified on the occupancy permit. In the case of an essential service being provided where no occupancy permit is required, then the relevant building surveyor must determine the level of performance that must be specified in writing and given to the owner.

The Regulations list essential safety measures as:

• Air conditioning systems
• Emergency lifts
• Emergency lighting
• Emergency power supply
• Emergency warning and intercommunication systems
• Exit doors
• Exit signs
• Fire brigade connections
• Fire control centres
• Fire control panels
• Fire curtain
• Fire dampers
• Fire detectors and alarm systems
• Fire doors
• Fire extinguishers (portable)
• Fire hose reels
• Fire hydrants
• Fire indices for materials
• Fire mains
• Fire shutters
• Fire windows
• Fire-isolated lift shafts
• Fire-isolated passageways
• Fire-isolated ramps
• Fire-isolated stairs
• Fire-protective coverings
• Fire-rated access panels
• Fire-rated control joints
• Fire-rated materials applied to building element
• Fire-resisting shafts
• Fire-resisting structures
• Lightweight construction
• Mechanical ventilation systems
• Paths of travel to exits
• Penetrations in fire-rated structures
• Smoke alarms
• Smoke control measures
• Smoke doors
• Smoke vents
• Sprinkler systems
• Stairwell pressurization systems
• Static water storage
• Vehicular access for large isolated buildings
• Warning systems associated with lifts

We first came across this term regarding Fire Sprinkler systems.  Very good explanation at Blazecut

Direct Low Pressure (DLP) System

This system is referred to as direct, which means that the activation and distribution of the agent is secured by the detection tube.

The fire suppression system operates by detecting fire and ap­plying the agent using a detection tube fastened to a cylinder valve. The detection tube is placed in the protected enclosure and is under constant pressure. In case of fire, the detection tube degrades by the effect of fire or high temperature. When the detection tube is disrupted, the agent is released through the created hole. The detection system is independent of any electrical supply and operates solely on physical principles.

The direct system is suitable for smaller applications and combines easy installation with simple operation.

Indirect Low Pressure (ILP) System

This system is referred to as indirect, which means that it is activated by disruption of the detection tube and the agent is distributed via separate distribution tubes to the nozzles.

The fire suppression system operates by de­tecting heat with a detection tube connected to a valve of a cylinder. The tube is placed in the protected enclosure and is under con­stant pressure, whereby keeping the valve piston of the cylinder closed.

In case of fire the tube degrades by the effect thereof. The detection tube is disrupted, the pressure in it decreases and the valve piston of the cylinder opens. The fire suppression system activates and the entire extinguishing agent is released through the nozzles. The detection system is independent of any elec­trical supply and operates solely on physical principles.

The indirect system is suitable for larger environments or where specific application of the agent is required. This system also enables various modifications by adding optional components such as manual actuation, detectors, control panels for enhanced operation and control of the system.

We came across DP ABE EXTG as an abbreviation when a company was listing all the various fire extinguishers it had checked as part of the Essential Safety Measure Service report (ESMSR) so we tried to find out what it meant.

• DP stands for Dry Powder
• ABE we believe stands for the various classes of fire that this extinguisher can be used on
  • Class A – Paper, textiles, wood, most plastics & rubber
  • Class B – Flammable liquids
  • Class C – Combustible gases
  • Class D – Combustible metals
  • Class E – Electrically energised equipment
• EXTG means extinguisher

The Emergency Warning Systems can be categorized as either:

1. A Building Occupant Warning Systems (BOWS)
2. A ‘Sound Systems and Intercom Systems for Emergency Purposes’, previously referred to as an Emergency Warning and Intercommunication System (EWIS)

An Emergency Warning System will consist of the following:

• A manual and automatic alarm activation
• An alert signal, which will include an audible signal or a combination of audible and visible signals (lights/strobes) in areas of high noise. After a pre-determined period of time, the system will automatically switch to an ‘Evacuation’ signal.
• An evacuation signal, which will include an audible signal, or a combination of audible and visible signals, along with automated voice messages instructing the necessary evacuation procedure.
• Ability to allow authorized Fire Wardens or emergency responders to take control and broadcast a verbal emergency public address to all or selected areas of the building via the PA loudspeakers.
• Ability to take manual control of the system if required by authorized Fire Wardens or emergency public responders
• Ability to communicate to one or more Wardens via the Warden Intercommunication Points – EWIS system only

The main point of difference between a Building Occupant Warning Systems and an Emergency Warning and Intercommunication System is the ability to engage in two-way communication via the Warden Intercommunication Points (WIPs). The Building Occupant Warning System does not have this functionality, whereas the Emergency Warning and Intercommunication System does.

The Strytex Global glossary holds key information about every type of document on the Strytex system.

• detailed descriptions are provided in this Knowledge Base and 
• key metadata is held in the system.

When a document is loaded under a particular name, the associated metadata in the directory is automatically loaded.

We came across this in a Sprinkler report for New Zealand.  It also mentioned

• OH1 Ordinary Hazard type 1
• OH2 Ordinary Hazard type 2
• OH3 Ordinary Hazard type 3
• EHH Extra High Hazard
• LH Light Hazard

We also came across this article from Australian Building Services which stated:

The type of sprinkler system to be installed will depend on the hazard classification of the building according to the NCC (National Construction Code).

The 3 main hazard classifications are :

1.  Light Hazard
2. Ordinary (OH1 – OH3)
3. High Hazard

The main difference between the 3 categories is the volumes of water and storage required increases with the hazard classifications. i.e High Hazard required more water, in higher quantities in a shorter time.

See wiki Hot work

Hot work is a process that can be a source of ignition when flammable material is present or can be a fire hazard regardless of the presence of flammable material in the workplace. 

Common hot work processes involve welding, soldering, cutting, brazing burning and the use of powder-actuated tools or similar fire producing operations outside of designated hot work areas.

When flammable materials are not present, industrial processes such as grinding and drilling become cold work processes.

In some countries, such as the UK and Canada, a hot work permit is required for hot work.

In other words, it’s work that could start a fire and even if you are not in the UK or Canada, it’s a pretty good idea to use hot work permits.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of fire protection equipment and associated equipment that needs regular maintenance.

Also here is the link to Essential Safety Measures Maintenance Manual (4th Edition) published by the Building Commission, Victorian Government, Australia. Whilst it may not be appropriate to your region, it has a lot of useful information and templates which you may be able to use.

• Air conditioning systems
• CO Sensor
• Emergency lifts
• Emergency lighting
• Emergency power supply
• Emergency warning and intercommunication systems
• Exit doors
• Exit signs
• Fire brigade connections
• Fire control centres
• Fire control panels
• Fire curtains
• Fire dampers
• Fire detectors and alarm systems
• Fire doors
• Fire extinguishers (portable)
• Fire hydrants
• Fire indices for materials
• Fire-isolated lift shafts
• Fire-isolated passageways
• Fire-isolated ramps
• Fire-isolated stairs
• Fire mains
• Fire-protective coverings
• Fire-rated access panels
• Fire-rated control joints
• Fire-rated materials applied to building elements
• Fire-resisting shafts
• Fire-resisting structures
• Fire shutters
• Fire windows
• Lightweight construction
• Mechanical ventilation systems
• Paths of travel to exits
• Penetrations in fire-rated structures
• Smoke alarms
• Smoke control measures
• Smoke doors
• Smoke vents
• Sprinkler systems
• Stairwell pressurisation systems
• Static water storage
• Vehicular access for large isolated buildings
• Warning systems associated with lifts
• Any other fire safety matter which is required by the Act or Regulations and the relevant building surveyor designates on the occupancy permit or otherwise determines in writing

Most of this information is taken from Essential Safety Measures Maintenance Manual 4th edition, Government of Victoria, Australia

Means of Egress actually covers all of the following and should be checked on a quarterly basis.

Paths of travel to Exits

Internal paths of travel in a building that provide an unobstructed pathway for occupants travelling to an exit. It is the responsibility of the owner to ensure that all paths of travel to exits are maintained in an efficient condition and kept functional and clear of obstruction at all times.

Discharge from Exits

External paths and discharge points that provide an unobstructed pathway for occupants travelling to a road or open space.

Exits

Fire-isolated passageways, ramps and stairs are to provide occupants with safe egress from a building. Exits include fire-isolated stairways and ramps, non-fire isolated stairways and ramps,
stair treads, balustrades and handrails associated with exits, and fire-isolated passageways.

At the entrance point to these elements, fire doors are provided. Fire doors are to be of a specified fire-resistance level, that are either self-closing or have automatic closing facilities linked to smoke or heat detectors or to a fire alarm or sprinkler system installed in the building.

Smoke lobbies to Fire-isolated exits

Smoke lobbies to fire-isolated exits are to provide occupants with safe egress from a building and prevent smoke from entering a stair……and are fitted with smoke doors that are either self-closing or have automatic closing facilities linked to smoke or heat detectors, or to a fire alarm or sprinkler system installed in the building.

The smoke lobby may also be pressured if the required exit stair is required to be pressurised under the smoke hazard management provisions.

Open access ramps or balconies for fire-isolated exits

Open access ramps and balconies are to provide occupants with safe egress from a building.

Doors

These are doors that are other than fire or smoke doors in a required exit, forming part of a required exit or in a path of travel to a required exit, and associated self-closing, automatic closing and latching mechanisms that provide sufficient and safe egress from a building, with a minimum of effort and delay, and to present a minimum of obstruction in an exit path.

It could be fitted with a fail-safe device that unlocks the door automatically when any sprinkler, smoke or heat detector system is activated in the building.

An exit door must be capable of simple operation to fulfil its designed purpose. An exit door may be a swinging door or could be a sliding door. Sliding doors may be manually operated or power operated.

This is a Strytex term where Members are companies, not people.

All companies buy and sell stuff, and some offer services, so Members operate simultaneously in various roles. Your organisation has at least one salesperson and one person who places orders, so your organisation no matter how large or how small operates in at least two of these roles.

Member as Buyer

In this role, your Procurement and Finance departments use the platform to keep track of the compliance of their suppliers.

Member as Supplier

In this role, your Sales and Finance departments use the platform to make sure all your internal compliance documents are up to date so that you are registered as 100% compliant at all times to your customers.

Member as Managing Agent

In this role, your organisation is providing a management service to your Clients, so you are acting on their behalf. For example, your clients may have outsourced all their facility management or all their HR management to your organisation. Your organisation could be using the platform for

• Facility Management – to manage all your Clients’ Locations, Facilities, Suppliers, Contractors compliance as well as all Safety Datasheets
• HR Management – to manage all your Clients’ employee compliance
• WHS Management – to manage compliance across all your Clients employees and contractors.

So depending on who is signed on to the platform, they are looking at the same information from a slightly different perspective.

The Strytex Portal is the website where Members can access their information.

A Property is a physical address.

A Facility is a building or a logical group of buildings at a location.

We use this distinction because a lot of our clients have campus type locations, e.g. mines, manufacturing plants, schools, universities etc. and they need to track facility compliance documents by facility, not by the whole campus.  For instance, at a school, the documentary requirements for a swimming pool are completely different for the Office/Admin block

For example, a school has a Property, the street address, with multiple Facilities, e.g.

• Admin Block
• Classrooms – North wing
• Classrooms – East Wing
• Classrooms – South Wing
• Science Block
• Sports field
• Swimming pool
• Boarding House – Able
• Boarding House – Bravo

Residual Current Device (See wiki)

A residual-current device (RCD), or residual-current circuit breaker (RCCB), is a device that instantly breaks an electric circuit to prevent serious harm from an ongoing electric shock. An injury may still occur in some cases, for example, if a human falls after receiving a shock, or if the person touches both conductors at the same time[citation needed].

RCD is the name used in the United Kingdom. In the United States and Canada, the terms ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), ground fault interrupter (GFI) or appliance leakage current interrupter (ALCI) are used. If the RCD device has additionally overcurrent protection integrated in the same device, it is referred to as RCBO (Residual Current Circuit Breaker with Overcurrent Protection. Suppose it really should be RCCBOP)).

An earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB) may be a residual-current device, although an older type of voltage-operated earth leakage circuit breaker also exists.

The risk axis in ORC model (obligations, risk and compliance) allows each organisation to split their risks by risk topic. Here is a list of common risk topics. Many of these overlap and get very confusing to work out which one is which, simply stay with your organisations definitions.

• WHS risk
• Insurance risk

• Anti-slavery risk
• Freight (sea, air, rail, road) risk
• Foreign exchange risk

The RODI is a “structured view” of your data in the database (see wiki).  As our technical team dumbed it down for me, “we’ve provided a read-only data interface for data analysis and synchronisation purposes.  It gives each Member access to their key raw data in an excel spreadsheet so they can play around with the information and use it elsewhere in their business.” so it’s a bit like an API but read only and one way.

See the User Guide for Read Only Data Interface

Strytex defines obligations into a hierarchy as follows

1. Governmental
2. Critical
3. Essential
4. Ethical
5. Discretionary
6. Legacy

For a full and detailed explanation see our insight article The Obligation Hierarchy

“False positives” are bad but “True negatives” can remove a lot of guesswork.

Exemption certificates are very useful when setting up the Compliance Control Matrices or your compliance rules.

For example, you may have 2,000 properties in Australian property portfolio but three were built after December 31st, 2003. Rather than only putting 1,997 properties in the Hazmat control group and leaving out the three, simply issue an exemption certificate for the three and the control rule is now

Every Australian property must have a Hazmat report OR a Hazmat exemption.
The exemption certificate must state exactly why an exemption was given and should be signed by a qualified person or subject matter expert.

The benefits are

1. you never have to ask “why do those three not have hazmat reports?” and waste time trying to get the answer, it’s all in the exemption document.
2. corporate wisdom is maintained when people change jobs.

Case study

One of our clients recently ran an audit for Hazardous Materials Report for all their managed properties and discovered a number of buildings have no Hazardous Materials report. They spent days trying to work out if these buildings

• are missing a crucial report or
• don’t need one because they were built after December 31st 2003. (Australian Code of Practice).

A simple True Negative statement solves this problem. For all buildings that don’t require a Hazardous Materials report, they now have a simple a one-page document, signed by a competent person, that states something along the lines of

We declare this workplace does not require an asbestos register because

• The building was constructed after 31st December 2003
• There have been no alterations or extensions constructed prior to 31st December 2003
• The building was constructed prior to 31st December 2003 however
  – No asbestos has been identified
  – All asbestos has been removed under a previous project

They now simply need to check that 100% of their buildings has

• Either a “Hazardous Materials report – True Negative statement”
• Or a “Hazardous Materials report – None found”
• Or a “Hazardous Materials report” with a “Hazardous Materials Management Plan and Hazardous Materials Register”

Users are people, as opposed to Members who are companies.

We use Staff instead of Users because we have had to define NonUsers and Users as specific subsets of Staff.

There are four different types of User:

• Member Administrator
• Member Agent
• Member Exec
• Member User

We also have groups defined as follows

Validation is an external process where a document is checked and validated against a third party database.

For example, Strytex may check the validity of a licence by checking it against the relevant government database.

1. Is the licence number a valid number?
2. Does the name on the licence match the name on the government database?
3. Has the licence been revoked or disqualified?
4. etc

Verification is the process where Strytex verifies that the information loaded onto the system is the same as the information presented on the document.

Strytex simply verifies that the document loaded matches the document name chosen and that the data (expiry date etc) has been entered correctly.  Simply making sure that marketing brochures have not been loaded as Certificates of Insurance.

Warden Intercom Phone or Warden Intercom Point

Warden Intercom Points (WIPs) are used to communicate between floor wardens and the main Emergency Evacuation Panel.

Work in Process/Progress

Work in process (WIP), work in progress (WIP), goods in process, or in-process inventory are a company’s partially finished goods waiting for completion and eventual sale or the value of these items. These items are either just being fabricated or waiting for further processing in a queue or a buffer storage. The term is used in production and supply chain management.