Ways to reduce a skip fire risk
Skip fires are a rare occurrence and common around bonfire night in November. However, they remain a risk, particularly when the temperatures rise. A skip fire does pose real dangers to your property and your neighbours. This could also end up causing a considerable amount of damage.
How to prevent skip fires
The skip should never be used for any fires; there should be no reason you need to burn anything in our skips. We are in our rights to charge for any damage that has been caused to our skips from any fire damage.
If the skip is on a public road and a fire occurs, there is a chance this could melt the tarmac or road. If this happens, your local authority could charge you for the damage to the public highway and may even consider prosecution.
Large fires generate huge temperatures so try and bear this in mind when you’re deciding the final location of the skip. It is advisable not to place it under trees or bushes that can cause a skip fire to spread.
Placing a skip in an area that gives emergency services easy access to a blaze can help reduce the amount of damage caused and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring properties. This can be achieved by choosing a site for the skip that is at least 3m from any building.
Accidents happen, and accidental fires can be caused by a discarded cigarette, or flammable products such as gas cylinders, aerosols and half-filled tins of paint, these items are prohibited because of environmental regulations and increase the risk of an accidental fire spreading.
Finally, it is advisable to arrange for skips to be collected as quickly as possible when full. This reduces the risk of accidental fires starting by giving the waste material less chance to dry out.
Things to consider
- Don’t burn any waste material in a skip
- Place the skip at least 5 metres from the nearest building.
- Never place flammable materials in a skip
- Seek professional advice when disposing of hazardous waste or bio-waste
- Arrange for skips to be collected as quickly as possible when full
- Don’t place skips under trees and keep them away from glass or other flammable structures
If you need our skip-hire services, visit our website today for more.
