Temporary Barriers

• 3/29/2010
• Author: Kristine Miller
• Category: EC News Blog
• 12906 Views
• 0 Comments
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Let’s say you have a construction project getting underway, and you’re thinking about how to protect this area from fire. Do plastic sheets constitute acceptable temporary fire barriers in and around construction areas?

According to Joint Commission life safety experts, the answer is no. Flammable plastic sheets do not constitute acceptable temporary barriers in and around construction areas. Even though flammable plastic sheets taped across an opening may form a dust seal, they are completely incapable of controlling fire. The only thing they can do is keep air from moving around and control dust and its associated infection control implications.

Standard LS.01.02.01, Element of Performance (EP) 7, states that temporary construction partitions should be "smoke-tight, or made of noncombustible or limited-combustible materials that will not contribute to the development or spread of fire."

Be sure that you can furnish evidence of "limited combustibility" if you are questioned during survey.