In brief: the lesson of each case
- World Trade Center, 2001: In an emergency, clear and coordinated communication is at least as important as the escape route itself.
- King's Cross station, 1987: Regular inspection, cleaning, maintenance and compliance with fire safety rules are not needless paperwork. Even minor shortcomings can add up and together create a serious hazard.
- Japan Airlines 516, 2024: An emergency procedure is not enough on its own. People must know what to do, and the procedures must be practised regularly in real conditions.
- Grenfell Tower, 2017: A fire protection system only works properly if every important element of it meets the designed requirements and is regularly inspected and maintained.
12 facts and cases about workplace fire and occupational safety – Part 1
It is easy to think of fire safety as policies, signs and checklists. Reality is far more complex than that.
In an emergency, an ambiguous instruction, a neglected maintenance task or a safety system that does not work properly can lead to serious consequences within minutes.
Not all of the following four cases happened in a workplace, yet their lessons matter for workplace fire safety too. They show clearly why prevention, proper communication, maintenance and well-rehearsed emergency procedures can be decisive.
1. At the WTC, communication also shaped the evacuation
On 11 September 2001 the tragedy reached the South Tower of the World Trade Center as well. The first aircraft struck the North Tower at 8:46 and the second struck the South Tower at 9:03.
Evacuation of the South Tower was already under way when, at about 9:00, a public-address announcement said that the fire was in the North Tower, that the South Tower was safe and that people should return to their offices.
A few minutes later another announcement followed, allowing people to leave the building.
According to the investigation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), emergency communication was not coordinated in every case, and contradictory messages made the situation harder to interpret.
Many people in the South Tower began to evacuate before the second aircraft struck, while others delayed. People's decisions were influenced, among other things, by the information they received, by their surroundings and by the reactions of those around them.
One important lesson of the story is that in an emergency communication is a safety factor in its own right. It matters exactly what people hear, how clear the instruction is and whether they know when to start their escape.
LessonIn an emergency, clear and coordinated communication is at least as important as the escape route itself.
2. A single match cost 31 lives in London
On 18 November 1987 a fire broke out at King's Cross underground station in London. According to the investigation, a discarded match ignited the grease and debris that had built up beneath an escalator.
The fire seemed small at first, then, because of the design of the escalator and the conditions, it suddenly became extremely intense. The phenomenon was later described as the “trench effect”.
The fire killed 31 people, including a firefighter.
After the tragedy numerous safety measures were introduced, and the design of escalators, fire safety procedures and the rules on smoking, among other things, were reviewed.
The story shows that a single ignition source may not seem a significant danger on its own. But where combustible dirt, accumulated grease and other shortcomings are also present, the situation can change quickly.
LessonRegular inspection, cleaning, maintenance and compliance with fire safety rules are not needless paperwork. Even minor shortcomings can add up and together create a serious hazard.
3. 379 people escaped from a burning aircraft
On 2 January 2024 Japan Airlines flight 516 collided with an aircraft of the Japan Coast Guard at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
There were 379 people on board the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 – 367 passengers and a crew of 12. The aircraft caught fire, yet every passenger and the entire crew managed to escape.
Of the six people on board the other aircraft, five lost their lives.
One important lesson of the case is that the value of an emergency procedure is shown not by whether it appears in a document, but by whether it can actually be carried out when it counts.
The successful evacuation shows how important trained staff and workable procedures that can be followed in an emergency are.
This is an especially important lesson in a workplace setting too. An evacuation or emergency procedure can only be truly effective if those concerned know their tasks, know which way to go and, when needed, are able to act quickly and in a disciplined way.
LessonAn emergency procedure is not enough on its own. People must know what to do, and the procedures must be practised regularly in real conditions.
4. The Grenfell Tower fire showed why protection against fire spread matters
On 14 June 2017 a fire broke out in the kitchen of a flat in Grenfell Tower in London. Once out of the flat, the fire spread extremely fast across the building's external cladding.
The tragedy claimed 72 lives, children among them.
Subsequent investigations uncovered numerous shortcomings in the building's fire safety. The external cladding system of the building also played a significant part in the rapid spread of the fire.
The case of Grenfell Tower is a warning that the fire safety of a building does not depend on a single piece of equipment or a single measure.
Protection against fire spread, the structural design of the building, fire-stopping elements, evacuation and properly designed safety systems together ensure the fire safety of a building.
If one element of the system does not work as it was designed to, it can significantly affect the effectiveness of other protective measures as well.
LessonA fire protection system only works properly if every important element of it meets the designed requirements and is regularly inspected and maintained.
What do the four cases have in common?
The four stories took place in completely different circumstances, yet they share one point:
Safety does not depend on a single measure.
Poor or ambiguous communication, a build-up of combustible dirt, an inadequately designed safety solution or a malfunctioning protection system can each be a risk on its own.
And if several layers of protection fail at the same time, an event that was limited at first can very quickly become a serious accident or even a tragedy.
That is why, in fire safety, it is not enough to concentrate on one area. Prevention, regular inspection, maintenance, training, proper communication and rehearsing emergency procedures all matter.
A safe workplace is not safe because every required document can be found in a folder, but because the system that has been set up works in practice – including when it is really needed.
In the next part we look at what the Hungarian data show and what everyday risks we may meet in the course of our work.