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| Chubb Fire is protecting the staff and equipment at Rathbones, the bakery arm of Morrisons supermarket |
The systems had to be installed without disrupting baking production. Pervez Khan, General Manager of Rathbones (Wakefield and Middlesbrough) said this meant following strict hygiene and health and safety procedures: "The installation had to be completed within five weeks and during normal working hours, and Chubb Fire proved equal to the challenge," he says.
"In a cooking environment, smoke detectors and alarms are crucial to protecting the people and the equipment from the threat of fire. Chubb Fire ensured the new system was installed, tested and commissioned simultaneously with the old system being removed. At no time was the factory left at risk."
The systems installed include the latest HSSD smoke detectors and networked control panels to meet the relevant standards (BS5839 part 1 2002 category L1). Sounder beacon units have also been used to take into account the high noise levels throughout the factory. A separate alarm system has been provided specifically to monitor and detect ammonia, a harmful gas given off from the raising agent during the baking process.
Jane Garland, Chubb Fire's Marketing and Communications Manager, says that fire prevention in the catering industry is essential both to safeguard the employees and the business: "In this highly specialised installation, Chubb Fire engineers demonstrated their ability to work in any environment and to any schedule, even in the most difficult conditions," she says.
Wm Morrison, the supermarket group, bought the Rathbones Baking Operation in 2005. Today the company claims around 15% of the market for own-label bread to UK supermarkets.
