Commercial buildings need sprinkler system

Oct 13, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor;
A few months ago I indicated that Guyana has poor building codes and virtually no enforcement procedures. The recent fire at Houston at Gafoor’s Bond, preceded a month ago by another fire at Fazia’s Collection building on Avenue of the Republic is ample testimony of this. It must be remembered that a mere 5 months ago another of Gafoor’s bonds succumbed to a massive fire. OBVIOUSLY THE GAFOORS ARE NOT COGNISANT OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THEIR STORAGE FACILITIES.
Commercial buildings need sprinkler systems: a series of road-side connections for fire hoses which will distribute water inside a building in the event of fire. Automated oxygen retardant systems need to be installed inside where an increase in temperature (say at 110 F) will trigger off the chemical spray. This (halogen) chemical will suck out the oxygen the fire will be greatly contained. Smoke alarms are cheap and should be installed along corridors which are the principal pathways for smoke. In an age of the search engine Guyanese are paddling in the steam engine era.
Bonds need to be sectionalised, much like the compartments in ships such as oil tankers. Concrete separating walls with steel (fire-proof) connecting doors must be the code for storage warehouses. This, coupled with periodic safety inspections, must be the way forward. Storage of cooking gas containers must never be inside a closed building. Propane is highly flammable (after all people cook with it) and the tanks need to be stored outdoors: any leakage/explosion will dissipate harmlessly into the atmosphere. The parking of fork lift trucks after usage can cause fires as the heat from the engine, whether propane or battery operated, can ignite paper, plastics, debris etc. afterwards. Floors must be constantly swept clean.
The parking of fork lift trucks after usage can cause fires as the heat from the engine, whether propane or battery operated, can ignite paper, plastics, debris etc. Propane tanks must always be checked for leaks. Loose materials like sawdust, cardboard boxes and the waterproof wrapping plastic must be cleaned and placed in metal containers OUTSIDE storage facilities. Moreover, many materials cannot be stored together. Cement (an alkaline limestone compound) cannot be in the same place with concrete (acid based) cleaners. Any combination, say from spillage, (as any chemistry schoolboy knows) produces a massive amount of enthalpy heat.
Perhaps the worst aspect of construction in Guyana is the electrical system, material and installation codes. This is in serious need of overhauling. Systems such as 100 Amperes distribution with Fly Back Breakers are the standard for commercial buildings such as warehouses, offices, shopping centers, and night clubs and so on. This is virtually non-existent. JFI outlets (with built in overload kick-out) rarely exist while electric wiring is predominantly vinyl coated (easily combustible) copper wire. Additionally, old wiring, coupled with corroded fuses, which do not trip or ‘blow’, poses severe risk of fire.
Finally, the government, through a Bureau of Standards, must monitor the very poor quality of electrical fittings and accessories (mostly from China) that flood the Guyanese market. While they are definitely cheaper than their other counterparts the consequences are often costly and fatal.
Guyana cries out for an (OSHA) Occupational Safety & Health Act.
Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine
Real Estate Builder (New York)

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