Ensuring Fire Safety with Sandwich Panels
Make the right choices before construction
Quality and continuity go hand in hand. Everyone knows greenhouse businesses that have experienced a fire or other business damage. You then see that the consequences can be severe. Short circuits, lighting problems, and disruptions from the lighting installation are the main causes of fires in the greenhouse sector, with flammable screen cloths acting as potential spreaders. Read our tips on how to deal with risks.
'How do you, as a greenhouse grower, organize your business operations to prevent a fire or limit the consequences?' When flammable screen cloth is present, ensure that the chance of a fire starting is as small as possible. Learn more: Prevent fire in your screen Contributing to a safer greenhouse Henny Biemans, Horticulture Risk Expert at Hagelunie A five-yearly inspection is a snapshot Do you have construction plans? Make an informed choice Consider the circumstances when choosing the panel type • Panels with stone wool: This is an option if you want maximum safety. But usually, these panels are mainly used for fire-resistant partition walls, such as in boiler rooms or irrigation rooms. • PIR panels: These do not contribute to independent fire propagation. Only when, for example, flammable items catch fire and it becomes very hot, do the smoke gases from the PIR contribute to the fire. In general, choosing PIR is a good choice, especially because a significant number of crates is present in an average horticultural company, which poses the most significant fire risk. Do you have construction plans or need advice?
We asked Henny Biemans, Horticulture Risk Expert. "Hagelunie thinks along with growers. The knowledge we impart to them helps advance the sector. We are proud of this sector that works so hard for its future." Do growers still have flammable screen cloth? Then we advise them to replace it as soon as possible with fire-retardant cloth (NTA 8825). In this way, we aim to have all standard screen cloths replaced with fire-retardant cloth by the end of 2025.
"We help greenhouse growers understand their business risks. Especially by brainstorming with them about safer greenhouse operations. Sandwich insulation panels are an important construction component of business premises, boiler rooms, and irrigation rooms. These panels are available in many variations. You have panels with (flammable) plastic insulation and the non-flammable variant with stone wool."
Although the AREI inspection is integrated into the operational management, the likelihood of short circuits and thus fires are reduced. However, it remains a snapshot. Fire safety is not only important for greenhouses but also for other vital components of your business such as warehouses with sorting installations, technical installations, and offices. Especially these warehouses are often constructed nowadays using a steel structure with sandwich panels. While in greenhouses, there is an increasing use of fire-retardant shading screens, buildings still largely utilize sandwich panels, which contain combustible insulation material.
Pay close attention to fire safety when choosing sandwich panels for your construction project. There are significant differences between the panels and the insulation they contain. This video shows two fires: one with a sandwich panel with stone wool and one with a panel with PIR. The difference is clear.
Your broker can connect you with one of our risk specialists.
