Cleaners items in electrical cupboards

[Haggis]

Is it acceptable for small electrical cupboards/rooms to contain a working volume cleaners items such as hoovers, mop heads, some paper towels etc (not flammable aerosols), on non-critical escape routes? For this example we can assume the room is provided with a short duration fire door set or door set equal to the rooms contruction.

Just about every building i look in, electrical distributions boards (which i would still class as med-high voltage ancillary equipment) are duelled with cleaners stores or general storage areas. Some of these rooms are over 5 metres square.

Is the general rule to get all combustibles out of it and keep it sterile or to allow limited storage and ensure that suitable seperation distances are maintained where storage in buildings is limited.

My feeling is that they should be sterile areas but in existing operational buildings space is limited for such storage.

Views please

Thanks again
HH

[Golden]

HH I know this sounds trite but you have to make a risk assessment and consider the consequences of a fire - and as you point out storage space is usually at a premium. An old design that's been added to over the years, combustibles stacked floor to ceiling no detection and you may have a major problem - if its a new build with good management of the storage, good escape routes and AFD, no sleeping risk then I can't really see an issue with life safety. For the full consequences of a poor arrangement read the Rosepark findings - but then also consider the other risk factors that weren't addressed such as the poor management.

If I decide its acceptable then I document it on the FRA and request the RP puts up some notices within the cupboard regarding what and how much can be stored, and restrict the numbers who have access.

[Haggis]

Thanks Golden

The majority of the buildings are older and the rooms are used for limited storage, but yes on occassion they are clearly dumping grounds for miscellaneous rubbish but fortunatley so far not stacked floor to ceiling.

What are your views on server rooms and simialar levels of controlled storage?
Though i have stumbled on a few mounted high up in cupboards with little or no natural ventilation and when you open the door its like a bloody sauna!!

HH

[AnthonyB]

Depends on the size of the room, the nature of the electrics and other mitigating measures (AFD, FR enclosure & doors) but I'll allow managed storage in some cases as long as locked metal cabinets are used, no loose combustibles.

[Fishy]

The basic approach in risk assessment is to first remove the hazard, & only if that is not reasonably practicable do you start working out why it may be acceptable to retain it.  If there is really no other place where it could be practicably stored then you could consider other risk mitigations..