Prevention Measures

The term prevention measures the Prevention Procedures and Prevention Plan, with which the former are required in buildings lower category of risk of fire and the Plan of prevention is mandatory for buildings with more severe risk category, as stipulated in Article 198, paragraph 1.

Prevention procedures

It is set of preventive procedures to be adopted by the occupants, to ensure the maintenance of safety conditions. Should be common knowledge to all employees of the organization in general and especially security team.

Mainly concern:

  • Operating rules and behavior to ensure the maintenance of safety conditions, in particular with regard to accessibility of rescue resources, disengagement of escape routes, monitoring of higher risk areas, safety in the work of higher risk or maintenance etc.
  • Operating procedures and use of technical facilities, equipment and systems, which should include the respective operating instructions, safety procedures, description of the commands and any alarms as well as fault indicators that characterize them.
  • Maintenance programs of technical facilities, devices, existing equipment and systems

The procedures of exploitation and use referred to are, as a rule, recommended by the respective manufacturers and are to be provided to the responsible security by contractors or installers, as appropriate, upon receipt of the work or installation.

In the case of configurable security systems – for example, automatic fire detection systems – those mentioned operational procedures should also include how the system is configured – for example, the alarm organization and control respective timings matrix.

Prevention procedures are designed to provide permanently to:

  • Accessibility of rescue resources to areas of use-type
  • Accessibility of emergency vehicles to the fire service water supply facilities, including outdoor hydrants
  • Practicability of escape routes
  • Effectiveness of stability to the fire and partitioning means, isolation and protection,
  • Accessibility to alarm means and intervention in case of emergency
  • Surveillance of areas, especially the increased risk of fire and those who are usually unemployed
  • Conservation areas in a clean condition and appropriate storage
  • Security in the production, handling and storage of materials and hazardous substances
  • Security in all maintenance, recovery, improvement, alteration or remodeling systems or facilities, involving an aggravated risk of fire, introduce limitations on installed security systems or that may affect the evacuation of occupants

Safety in work involving aggravated risk of fire

It is recommended that changes in self-protection measures to deal with the work referred to in this paragraph are properly planned sufficiently in advance to prepare the appropriate response to these works.

Worsen the risk of fire outbreak, strengthening preventive measures and increased vigilance is recommended, both during the execution or during periods of interruption of work. If the work in question introduce limitations in security systems, it is recommended that installers or companies responsible for maintenance actions of these systems are involved in the planning above and, if necessary, efetuem changes in the systems needed to minimize the impact of foreseeable limitations.

If affect the evacuation is recommended to reinforce preventive and emergency procedures in the areas affected to minimize the negative effects of work on the evacuation conditions.

Prevention Plan

It should contain the following elements:

  • Building characterization (installation, construction, etc.), date of entry into service
  • Security organization chart (identification of security responsible in any security identification delegates)
  • Plants, on the scale of 1: 100 or 1: 200 with the unequivocal representation, using the constant symbolism of Portuguese standards, the predicted risk and effective classification for each location, horizontal and vertical evacuation routes, including the possible pathways in common communications and location of all devices and devices Fire safety

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