Abstract
Fire safety for offices of small and medium enterprises (SME) established in Hong Kong is a concern. The possible fire risks should be studied before determining the fire safety provisions. A long-term research project was supported and the first step is to survey the fire risk factors in those offices. The two key factors on fire load density and occupant load factor were studied in 25 SME offices. This sample covered a large variety of businesses in engineering, advertising, and trading firms. The fire load densities for the samples were found to be from 316 to 1585 MJm-2, giving a mean of 911 MJm-2. Both the fixed and movable fire loads were analyzed. On the occupant load factor, values were lying between 4 m2/person to 13.33 m2/person, giving a mean of 7.7 m2/person. These two factors are important in determining the fire safety provisions in offices, both on hardware passive constructions and active fire systems. From the results, appropriate fire safety management can be worked out.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 291-301 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Fire Science |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2005 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
- Chemical Health and Safety
