Efectis Textile Factory Fires

The textile industry in Turkey constitutes one of the most rooted industrial branches of our country, by bringing together thousands of years of knowledge and trade experience from Anatolia with modern technical and scientific opportunities. The textile field in the sector, which is divided into two main branches as textile and ready-made clothing consists of yarn production, weaving and knitting, and the processes from fiber to finished fabric, while the field of ready-made clothing covers the processes from dyeing, printing, fabric operations, cutting and sewing, and from fabric to the final product, clothing products.

Fires occur frequently due to the high fire load of the materials used in all these production stages and the risk of explosion of organic dust and lint. When the explosions are also considered, these fires cause loss of life and serious financial losses, and the lack of equivalent machinery and competent workforce in order for production to return to its normal course causes great delays in production.

At what stages of the production process can a fire occur?

There are specific fire risks at every stage of production, from the raw material to the final product. Electrical fire risks, one of the most firecausing factors according to statistics, can be summarized as overloading in power lines, incomplete electrical insulation, grounding, and problems in harmonics. In case of accumulation of dust and lint originating from the production process in or around electrical devices, there may be a risk of explosion due to a spark that may come out of the electric motor.

Equipment used in the production process, such as furnaces and boilers that heat the processed material, equipment that involves friction such as blowing and scanning, operations with flammable chemicals and paints, and processes such as the destruction of waste materials by burning also create fire risks. In the storage phase, the type, structure, and frequency of storage of the material cause an increase in the risk of fire.

Fire safety solutions

The first priority in terms of fire fighting in the textile industry should be to identify and eliminate risks. In the event of a fire despite all precautions, the main goal is to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the facility and to keep the fire under control. At this stage, the most important safety factor is the correct compartmentation, the use of insulation in pipe and cable passages, passive fire safety systems such as fire doors and dampers.

In order to provide fire safety at this level, serious knowledge on material knowledge and passive fire safety is required, as well as on national fire regulations and active fire safety systems. The fire consultancy team at Efectis with more than 70 years of expertise in fire, creates a tailor-made fire concept specific to the building in question. Efectis can meet all your fire safety needs with its expertise in national and international standards.