Thousands of businesses at risk through ignorance

This New Year, many companies in the UK silently slipped past the first EU Deadline date for the phase out of Halon used in fire fighting suppression systems without having taken any action.

Ignorance of a particular piece of European legislation that came into force on the 1st January, relating to Halon gases in fixed fire suppression systems threatens to leave thousands of businesses in the UK at serious risk, without insurance and with potentially disastrous consequences according to leading specialists Chubb Fire.

Halon, an extinguishant in use since the 1950s, is especially effective in protecting valuable computer and IT equipment, and is commonly used by many high-tech manufacturing facilities.

Unfortunately, these gases also have the highest ozone depleting potential of ANY chemicals in common use, and as such became a prime target within the Montreal Protocol for immediate elimination.

This process began in 1993 when the manufacture of Halon was banned. Six years later, a European Regulation detailed a specific timetable to phase out the use of Halon altogether, and to govern the collection and destruction of the various types of gas in use. Within this timetable, 31st December 2002 was the last day that existing Halon systems could be re-charged (with recycled or reclaimed Halon), and by the same date the following year, all existing Halon systems will have to be decommissioned and the gases destroyed.

“The danger comes at various levels,” explains John Spencer, Managing Director of Chubb Fire. “Should any system discharge, either by accident or to deal with a real fire incident, it is now actually illegal to recharge it, making the system completely useless. Until a new system can be purchased, installed and commissioned, a company’s most valuable assets will be left unprotected.

“This then has a knock-on effect in terms of insurance,” John continues. “Where protection of vital equipment is reliant upon a Halon system, it is most unlikely that insurance cover will be obtained after 2002 since this protection cannot be regarded as a permanent solution. Insurance cover may well be dependent upon an agreed timetable for the replacement of the Halon System.”

Unfortunately, a fixed fire suppression system is not like throwing out the old extinguishers and installing the new as John explains:

“Various alternatives to Halon are readily available,” he continues, “but the planning, design and installation of a new system can take anything from six weeks to six months, depending on the complexity of the task and the size of the project. “

“Research from Chubb Fire suggests that many UK businesses are not aware of the forthcoming legislation and/or have done little or nothing about it,” he concludes. “A further concern is that as the deadline for Halon replacement approaches, the demand for suppliers to fit new systems will outstrip supply, leaving a huge number of companies exposed.

“The dangers of leaving the Halon issue until the last minute cannot be underestimated.”

Find out more about Halon replacement, the deadlines, and how you can ensure your premises are protected.

Also in this Section