Why the Flexibility of Spray Fireproofing Is Essential for Full Coverage and Code Compliance

What to Know About Spray Fire­proof­ing for Code Compliance

Why Is Fire­proof­ing Required?

Even a small fire can become extreme­ly destruc­tive. Not only do fires put peo­ple in harm’s way – but they can also dam­age equip­ment and oth­er valu­able assets, result­ing in major loss­es. Fire­proof­ing is one of many fire pro­tec­tion mea­sures to pre­vent and mit­i­gate these neg­a­tive out­comes. Despite the inher­ent ben­e­fits afford­ed by prop­er fire­proof­ing, how­ev­er, main­tain­ing ful­ly func­tion­al fire­proof­ing can be a chal­lenge with­out the right incen­tives in place. As such, var­i­ous reg­u­la­to­ry bod­ies such as the Occu­pa­tion­al Safe­ty and Health Admin­is­tra­tion (OSHA), Inter­na­tion­al Build­ing Code (IBC), and oth­ers over­see fire code com­pli­ance in all types of build­ings. Busi­ness­es that fail to main­tain com­pli­ance with these codes must pay fines or under­go oth­er penal­ties until the issue is resolved.

The Ben­e­fits of Spray on Fireproofing

While dif­fer­ent types of build­ings must adhere to spe­cif­ic fire pro­tec­tion codes, cer­tain fire­proof­ing mate­ri­als and tech­niques expe­dite com­pli­ance and improve build­ing safe­ty more effi­cient­ly than oth­ers. Spray fire­proof­ing, for instance, deploys full cov­er­age that helps keep build­ings com­pli­ant with rel­e­vant reg­u­la­tions. Here are some ben­e­fits of invest­ing in spray on fire­proof­ing.

Pro­tect Struc­tur­al Steel from Flames

Struc­tur­al col­lapse is the biggest threat posed by a com­mer­cial or indus­tri­al fire. Though struc­tur­al steel is high­ly durable, it begins to weak­en as tem­per­a­tures approach and exceed 1,000 degrees Fahren­heit. As steel beams bend and buck­le, the weight of the entire build­ing can begin to shift, even­tu­al­ly result­ing in a total col­lapse. There­fore, thor­ough­ly fire­proof­ing all struc­tur­al com­po­nents is inte­gral to not only pro­tect­ing your peo­ple and assets but also remain­ing com­pli­ant with fire codes. For­tu­nate­ly, most struc­tur­al steel is eas­i­ly pro­tect­ed via spray-applied fire­proof­ing. Doing so will help struc­tur­al steel retain its integri­ty and pro­long the time it takes for these com­po­nents to break down, allow­ing occu­pants to safe­ly exit in the event of fire.

Ful­ly Pro­tect Hard-to-Reach Areas

In order for a build­ing to com­ply with rel­e­vant fire codes, its most vul­ner­a­ble and valu­able fea­tures must be com­plete­ly pro­tect­ed with fire­proof­ing mate­ri­als. Of course, cer­tain fea­tures are dif­fi­cult to access due to their loca­tion, shape, and size. With fire­proof­ing spray, how­ev­er, even the hard­est-to-reach areas can receive the pro­tec­tive coat­ings they require. Spray mate­ri­als are flex­i­ble and easy to apply in all situations.

Get the Job Done Quickly

The con­ve­nience and flex­i­bil­i­ty afford­ed by spray fire­proof­ing trans­lates to more effi­cient fire­proof­ing on the whole. Fire­proof­ing con­trac­tors who are expe­ri­enced and qual­i­fied to spray on these coat­ings can get the job done quick­ly and cor­rect­ly. Though most spray-on fire­proof­ing mate­ri­als take 2 – 4 weeks to ful­ly cure, nor­mal oper­a­tions can resume after the coat­ings have been applied. Sim­ply put, spray fire­proof­ing min­i­mizes down­time in your facil­i­ty so you can get back to work and con­tin­ue tak­ing steps to keep your peo­ple and assets safe from harm.

When it comes to fire­proof­ing your facil­i­ty, work with a com­pa­ny that knows the ins and outs of rel­e­vant codes and who respects your sched­ule. At Kaloutas, we work the way you do, imple­ment­ing the best and most effi­cient process­es to keep your facil­i­ty oper­a­tional, safe, and com­pli­ant. To learn more about us and all that we do, con­tact us online or give us a call at 978−532−1414 today.