Meadowhall is a large indoor retail centre on the outskirts of Sheffield. It covers 1.5 million square feet of floor space and features 230 stores from top independent and international brands, 50 places to eat and drink and an 11 screen cinema. It has 12,000 free parking spaces, directly accessed via road, rail and tram.
In Autumn 2015, a two-year £60m refurbishment programme began. The new Meadowhall is smarter, brighter and more vibrant, with more natural light. The overhaul has made it easier for customers to find their way around the centre - and is visually much more pleasing. The centre has been split into four districts, each with a different look and feel.
As part of the refurbishment programme, Lee Bennett, Health and Safety Manager, carried out a review of existing fire precautions across the centre. This included reviewing the number and type of fire extinguishers.
Meadowhall took the decision to replace all the steel extinguishers in the centre with 75 of the P50 foam extinguishers. These service-free appliances are proving increasingly popular due to their unique construction. During their 10-year guaranteed life, they never require a service by a service technician nor a refill after five years. Made from a composite material, that will not rust or corrode; they only require an annual inspection which can be undertaken by one of Meadowhall’s own employees. After ten years they can be refurbished and used for a further ten years.
"As with all our purchases, we put it out to tender," commented Lee. "Safelincs impressed us with their knowledge and professionalism. And there was no hard sell. They carried out a free site survey and gave us a free quote."
The use of the powerful P50 foam extinguishers, which can be used safely on electrical equipment (max 1000V and 1m safety distance), has reduced the number of extinguishers in the centre by about 40%. The foam P50 extinguisher is versatile and can be used on all the likely types of fire that would be found in a retail environment.
The massive cost savings brought about by not requiring external engineer servicing and by reducing the number of extinguishers was not Lee’s only consideration, though.
"Security continues to be a major factor at Meadowhall," he said. "Being able to maintain these in house enables us to reduce the number of external contractors we need to allow on to site into restricted areas."
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