ABSTRACT
Many Portuguese metal working industries existed long before the publication of the current fire safety regulation. The adaptation to new regulations is rarely easy for existing industries and its assets, particularly when it comes to fire safety. How can companies protect their old buildings? How should they manage their existing resources and safety equipment? How must they invest? How should they invest? And most importantly, is it enough to protect all the workers? It was used a case study approach to the practical application of the Portuguese Fire Safety Regulation to an industrial company from the metal working sector. The analyzed facilities are 50 years old, implanted in a 33.000 m2 ground with 19.000 m2 of sheltered area, encompassing 145 workers. The fire risk assessment, the investments made and the prevention and protection methods created and applied allowed the company to obtain a positive statement from the responsible authority and to enhance the levels of prevention and workers’ protection concerning fire safety. The positive statement from the responsible authority proved that it is possible to protect an existing building (50 years old) and its occupants from a fire scenario, even though it wasn’t designed to respond to the current legal requirements. Even in older buildings, it’s possible through good professional practice to improve fire prevention and enhance fire safety levels for workers and facilities.
