Flammability

Flammability is the ease with which a material will ignite, either spontaneously from exposure to high temperature, or from exposure to a spark or open flame. The ability of a material to burn under normal conditions (combustibility) is not considered a hazard, which plays a role in the decision-making in the event of an accidental spill.

The main adverse effect of a fire is the damage to property (ship, platform etc.) i.e. to the property itself.

Indicators for the flammability of a substance are for instance the IMDG code, and the flash point of a substance.

If an article bears an IMDG label for class 2.1, any class within class 4 or a Class 3, the substance can be considered flammable.

A low flash point of a substance indicates that it can form a flammable vapour at a low temperature.

In order to assess the severity of fires, estimates can be made of the distances over which particular radiation levels are exceeded. For instance, the distance from the centre of the fire over which the radiation intensity exceeds 5 kW/m2 can be used as one such measure. It is assumed that 1% of the people exposed to these radiation levels for a period of at least 100 seconds would be killed. Similarly, the distance from the centre of the fire over which the radiation intensity exceeds 1,5 kW/m2 gives a measure of the area over which people not wearing protective clothing would suffer first-degree burns if exposed for a period of over 100 seconds.

Extinguishing of fires can either be done with water, foam, CO2 and DCP (Dry Chemical Powder) dependent on the type of material on fire. These extinguishing systems can be portable, or fitted standard, as for instance a sprinkler system.