Fire Certificates (Special Premises) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991

Regulation 3

SCHEDULE 1

PART I PREMISES FOR WHICH A FIRE CERTIFICATE IS REQUIRED

1.  Any premises at which are carried on any manufacturing processes in which the total quantity of any highly flammable liquid under pressure greater than atmospheric pressure and above its boiling point at atmospheric pressure may exceed 50 tonnes.

2.  Any premises at which is carried on the manufacture of expanded cellular plastics and at which the quantities manufactured are normally of, or in excess of, 50 tonnes per week.

3.  Any premises at which there is stored, or there are facilities provided for the storage of, liquefied petroleum gas in quantities of, or in excess of, 100 tonnes except where the liquefied petroleum gas is kept for use at the premises either as a fuel, or for the production of an atmosphere for the heat-treatment of metals.

4.  Any premises at which there is stored, or there are facilities provided for the storage of, liquefied natural gas in quantities of, or in excess of, 100 tonnes except where the liquefied natural gas is kept solely for use at the premises as a fuel.

5.  Any premises at which there is stored, or there are facilities provided for the storage of, any liquefied flammable gas consisting predominantly of methyl acetylene in quantities of, or in excess of. 100 tonnes except where the liquefied flammable gas is kept solely for use at the premises as a fuel.

6.  Any premises at which oxygen is manufactured and at which there are stored, or there are facilities provided for the storage of, quantities of liquid oxygen of. or in excess of, 135 tonnes.

7.  Any premises at which there are stored, or there are facilities provided for the storage of, quantities of chlorine of, or in excess of, 50 tonnes except when the chlorine is kept solely for the purpose of water purification.

8.  Any premises at which artificial fertilizers are manufactured and at which there are stored, or there are facilities provided for the storage of, quantities of ammonia of, or in excess of, 250 tonnes.

9.  Any premises at which there are in process, manufacture, use or storage at any one time, or there are facilities provided for such processing, manufacture, use or storage of, quantities of any of the materials listed below in, or in excess of, the quantities specified—

Phosgene	5 tonnes
Ethylene oxide	20 tonnes
Carbon disulphide	50 tonnes
Acrylonitrile	50 tonnes
Hydrogen cyanide	50 tonnes
Ethylene	100 tonnes
Propylene	100 tonnes
Any highly flammable liquid not otherwise specified	4,000 tonnes

10.  Any building on the surface at any mine within the meaning of the Mines Act (Northern Ireland) 1969(1).

11.  Any premises in which there is comprised—

(a) any undertaking on a site for which a licence is required in accordance with section 1 of the Nuclear Installations Act 1965(2) or for which a permit is required in accordance with section 2 of that Act; or

(b) any undertaking which would, except for the fact that it is carried on by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, or by, or on behalf of, the Crown, be required to have a licence or permit m accordance with the provisions mentioned in sub-paragraph (a).

12.  Any premises containing any machine or apparatus in which charged particles can be accelerated by the equivalent of a voltage of not less than 50 megavolts except where the premises are used as a hospital.

13.  Premises to which regulation 26 of the Ionising Radiations Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1985(3) applies.

14.  Any building, or part of a building. which either—

(a) is constructed for temporary occupation for the purposes of building operations or works of engineering construction; or

(b) is in existence at the first commencement there of any further such operations or works

and which is used for any process or work ancillary to any such operations or works.

PART II CONDITIONS TO BE SATISFIED IF A FIRE CERTIFICATE IS NOT to BE REQUIRED FOR PREMISES SPECIFIED IN PARAGRAPH 14

15.  Not more than 20 persons are employed at any one time in the building or part of the building.

16.  Not more that 10 persons are employed at any one time elsewhere than on the ground floor of the building or part of the building.

17.  No explosive or highly flammable material is stored or used in or under the building or part of the building.

18.  The building or part of the building is provided with such means of escape in case of fire for the persons employed there as may reasonably be required in the circumstances of the case.

19.  In the building or part of the building there is provided and maintained appropriate means for fighting fire which are so placed as to be readily available for use.

20.  While any person is in the building or part of the building for the purpose of employment or meals, the doors of the building or part and of any room therein in which he is, and any doors which afford a means of exit for persons employed in the building or part are not locked or fastened in such a manner that they cannot easily and immediately be opened from the inside.

21.  Any doors opening on to any staircase or corridor from any room in the building or part of the building in which more than 10 persons are employed, except in the case of sliding doors, are constructed to open outwards.

22.  Every window, door or other exit affording a means of escape from the building or part of the building in case of fire or giving access thereto, other than the means of exit in ordinary use, is distinctively and conspicuously marked by a notice of adequate size.

23.  The contents of any room in the building or part of the building in which persons are employed are so arranged or disposed that there is a free passage way for all persons employed in the room to a means of escape in case of fire.

PART III DEFINITIONS

24.  In this Schedule—

“liquefied petroleum gas” means commercial butane, commercial propane or any mixture thereof;

“commercial butane” means a hydrocarbon mixture consisting predominantly of butane, butylene or any mixture thereof;

“commercial propane” means a hydrocarbon mixture consisting predominantly of propane, propylene or any mixture thereof;

“highly flammable liquid” means any liquid, liquid solution, emulsion or suspension (other than liquefied petroleum gas or liquefied natural gas) which when tested in the manner specified in Schedule 1 to the Highly Flammable Liquids and Liquefied Petroleum Gases Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1975(4), gives off a flammable vapour at a temperature of less than 32 degrees Celsius and, when tested in the manner specified in Schedule 2 to those Regulations, supports combustion.

(1)

1969 c. 6 (N.I.)

(2)

1965 c. 57

(3)

S.R. 1985 No. 273

(4)

S.R. 1975 No. 256