Providing many lessons learned from past silo fires coupled with in-depth knowledge from experts, this book explains current prevention measures in detail -- helping to prevent future damage. It covers numerous types of fire detection devices and fire fighting equipment, backed by extensive data tables listing fire and explosion characteristics of bulk materials, color photographs of silos on fire and documentation of firefighters' actions. In addition, diagrams and formulas as well as pre-prepared check lists are included for risk assessment and fire fighting actions. Possibly lifesaving reading for chemists in industry, engineers, chemical engineers, health officers, environmental consultants, instructors in the chemical industry, as well as chemicals suppliers and safety officers.

'Generic Risk Assessment 3.5 - Fighting Fires in Farms' is part of a series of Generic Risk Assessments (GRAs) that is the product of a ten year consultation period. The GRAs have been designed to safeguard Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) personnel and members of the public. This assessment examines the hazards, risks and control measures relating to Fire and Rescue Service personnel, the personnel of other agencies and members of the public when fighting fires in farms. This assessment considers the full range from smallholdings to large farms that undertake a wide variety of activities. There are significant hazards which face Fire and Rescue Service personnel at farm fires. Chapters within this GRA include: access; the nature, construction and condition of farm buildings and farms; hazardous substances and materials stored or used on the farm; electrical power supplies; machinery, workshops, silos, barns and stores; water pits, slurry pits and lagoons; work at height; animals and insects; biological hazards including animal waste (solid, liquid) and bio-aerosols; stacked materials; non-Fire and Rescue Service personnel. Depending on the nature and scale of the operational incident a variety of significant hazards may be present. Therefore contents of other specific Generic Risk Assessments may also need to be considered.

This book begins by describing grain dust and its potential to create a hazard in a grain silo leading to explosions. It then discusses the explosion that occurred at the Grain Marketing Board's Lions Den Silo, near Chinhoyi in Zimbabwe in 2018, and which caused four deaths, injuries to some personnel and significant damage to property. It then examines the immediate possible causes of the fire release and the response of the Zimbabwe government to it. The book then draws broader conclusions about the need to develop new methodologies of risk and loss limitation, which are especially appropriate to silos, in which health and safety plays a significant role.