Case Studies

Sector

Data Centres

Problem

An ageing CO₂ system protected a live colocation hall, creating a personnel-safety risk and falling short of a tenant compliance review.

System involved

Gaseous suppression (SANS 14520) with addressable detection (SANS 10139) and HVAC interlock.

Intervention

Phased cut-over to an FM-200 clean-agent system with cross-zoned detection, room-integrity (fan) testing and an HVAC shutdown interlock — planned to keep the hall in service throughout.

Outcome

Handover pack prepared to support the tenant compliance review; a personnel-safe clean agent with a documented design-concentration calculation, and a cut-over staged to limit disruption to the live hall.

Documentation

• Room-integrity test certificate
• SANS 14520 design concentration calculation
• As-built detection zone drawings
• Commissioning and handover pack

Sector

Warehousing & Logistics

Problem

A high-bay distribution centre had patchy detection coverage and a bell-only alarm that was inaudible across the racking, risking slow evacuation.

System involved

Addressable detection (SANS 10139) with voice evacuation / PA (SANS 60849, SANS 54-16).

Intervention

Re-zoned addressable detection for high-bay coverage and installed a voice-evacuation system with intelligible, zoned messaging and a clear egress sequence.

Outcome

Audible and intelligible coverage designed across the facility, with a documented evacuation strategy and intelligibility report prepared for insurer and responsible-person review.

Documentation

• Detection coverage and zone plan
• Voice-alarm intelligibility report
• Evacuation cause-and-effect matrix
• Annual maintenance schedule

Sector

Electrical Rooms

Problem

A main LV switchgear room protecting a continuous-process site had no automatic suppression, so an electrical fire risked extended outage and collateral damage to adjacent panels.

System involved

Inert-gas suppression (SANS 14520) with addressable detection (SANS 10139) and HVAC damper interlock.

Intervention

Designed and installed an argon-based inert-gas system with cross-zoned detection, sized to the room volume and design concentration, with pre-discharge warning, abort station and automatic damper closure to preserve enclosure integrity.

Outcome

People-safe automatic protection for the switchgear room with a documented hold-time test; detection and damper interlocks demonstrated and recorded at commissioning, with the evidence pack prepared for the site's risk engineer.

Documentation

• SANS 14520 design concentration and cylinder sizing calculation
• Room-integrity (door-fan) test report
• Detection and release cause-and-effect matrix
• Commissioning certificate and operator instructions

Sector

Healthcare & Commercial

Problem

A multi-storey healthcare facility with dependent occupants needed reliable early detection and a phased, intelligible evacuation strategy that would not cause panic among patients.

System involved

Addressable detection (SANS 10139) with voice evacuation (SANS 60849, SANS 54-16) and emergency lighting (SANS 10114-2).

Intervention

Installed addressable detection with multi-sensor devices in mixed clinical environments and a zoned voice-evacuation system supporting phased, staff-managed evacuation, with verified escape-route emergency lighting.

Outcome

Early, location-specific detection with a controlled phased-evacuation strategy and intelligible messaging across the occupied zones, and full handover documentation for the responsible person.

Documentation

• Detection coverage and zone plan
• Phased evacuation cause-and-effect matrix
• Voice-alarm intelligibility report
• Emergency-lighting duration-test record

Sector

Control Rooms

Problem

A site operations control room ran CCTV, access control and intrusion detection as disconnected systems, slowing verification and producing avoidable dispatches.

System involved

Integrated security: CCTV (SANS 62676), access control (SANS 60839-11-1) and intrusion detection (SANS 50131).

Intervention

Unified the three systems under a single monitoring view so intrusion and access events trigger associated camera verification, with access control configured to fail safe on fire alarm to protect egress.

Outcome

Camera-verified response to security events from a single operator view, designed to reduce avoidable dispatches, with egress protected on fire alarm across all three systems.

Documentation

• CCTV coverage and image-quality plan
• Access-control configuration and fail-safe egress matrix
• Intrusion grading and signalling report
• Integration commissioning record

Sector

Healthcare & Commercial

Problem

A multi-tenant commercial building fell short on a compliance review of its fire doors — propped doors, failed seals and non-rated hardware compromised compartmentation.

System involved

Fire-door assemblies and ironmongery (SANS 1253, SANS 10400-T, SANS 51155).

Intervention

Surveyed every fire door against its certification, then remediated defects: replaced intumescent and smoke seals, refitted rated hardware and self-closers, corrected gap tolerances and fitted alarm-released electromagnetic hold-opens where doors needed to stay open in normal use.

Outcome

Compartmentation addressed across the building with a documented, door-by-door evidence trail and remedial certification prepared to support re-inspection.

Documentation

• Door-by-door inspection schedule and defect register
• Remedial works record with before/after status
• Hardware and seal specification against ratings
• Remedial certification for completed assemblies

Sector

Warehousing & Logistics

Problem

A distribution site relied on mechanical keys with no audit trail, and several secured doors on escape routes had no defined fail-safe behaviour in a fire.

System involved

Electronic access control (SANS 60839-11-1) integrated with the fire detection system (SANS 10139).

Intervention

Installed electronic access control with credentialed entry and a full event audit trail, integrated with the fire panel so doors on escape routes release to a safe state on alarm while security is preserved elsewhere.

Outcome

Auditable, credential-based access replacing mechanical keys, with fail-safe egress on every escape-route door demonstrated and recorded at commissioning.

Documentation

• Access-control design and door schedule
• Fail-safe egress cause-and-effect matrix
• Integration test record with the fire system
• Commissioning certificate and operator instructions