Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/946815
16 PalletCentral • January-February 2018 palletcentral.com hether you believe in making New Year's resolutions or not, the beginning of a new year is the best time to start fresh, and take action. Although most resolutions revolve around your personal health, the health of your business should not be overlooked. As you analyze the health of your manufacturing facility, fire code compliance should top your list of New Year's business resolutions for 2018, and NWPCA is here to help. In early January, 2018, the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) released a new industry resource publication, "NWPCA Fire Code Compliance Manual for Outdoor Storage of Wood Pallets." The manual was produced to assist industry in compliance with the new outdoor pallet storage provisions incorporated in the 2018 International Fire Code (IFC) Section 2810 of the International Code Council, and NFPA 1, Section 34.10.4, of the National Fire Protection Association, that were adopted in the summer of 2017. NWPCA worked closely with fire safety and code experts, and hosted several forums for NWPCA members to share safety experiences. All input received led to the development of this comprehensive voluntary resource guide. "The revised sections of the 2018 fire codes for both the International Code Council (ICC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), accurately reflect proven best practices for pallet manufacturing and pallet recycling facilities," commented Dr. Brad Gething, NWPCA director of science & technology integration. Revised requirements for pallet storage are specific to both the ICC and NFPA codes. While there is a large amount of overlap between the two codes, there is some difference between them as well. You will need to consult with your code official or AHJ ("authority having jurisdiction") to verify which code applies to your facility. Being proactive and establishing a positive relationship with your local/state fire marshal will, in most cases, result in a cooperative exchange of ideas and information. Most fire marshals want to work with building owners, especially those that show a desire to operate their business in a fire safe manner. The information below is extracted from the NWPCA fire code manual that shows which fire code aspects are consistent between the ICC and NFPA: • 20 ft. maximum pile height • Spacing from any important structure is 0.75 times the pile storage height • Spacing from the property line is 0.75 times the pile storage height For facilities under the jurisdiction of the NFPA 1 Code, there are pile size restrictions. Piles are not restricted in one direction, but are in second and are based on the spacing between piles. A minimum of 8 ft. is required between all piles. • For piles with spacing between 8 and 20 ft., the maximum allowable width of the pile is 60 ft. • For piles with spacing of 20 ft. that qualify as fire access routes, the maximum allowable pile width is 100 ft. The fire code changes that were adopted as the result of the NWPCA code development activity are published in the 2018 Editions of the International Fire Code (IFC) and NFPA 1. Make Fire Code Compliance Your New Year's Resolution NWPCA Releases Manual for Pallet Manufacturing & Recycling Facilities SAFETY Download a free copy of NWPCA Fire Code Compliance Manual: palletcentral.com/compliancemanual Most fire marshals want to work with building owners, especially those that show a desire to operate their business in a fire safe manner. W