Ocado warehouse fire
Discussion
kev1974 said:
I guess they need to add some fire fighting robots which just dash to the problem with a tank full of foam.
That's quite a good idea.. Have two or three patrolling around always optimally spaced with extra heat/fire detection kit on board, and as you say filled with AFFF or CO2, maybe even the super ozone damaging stuff that's now banned..
I bet they are looking at all these options now.
The one thing that I am confused about is why there was no protocol in place for such emergencies. Why didn't the person in charge of that area (fire marshal) Manager etc hit the kill switch (assuming there was one) so that everything in that area came to a halt.... This could have stopped the fire from spreading & ultimately saved the building.
boobles said:
The one thing that I am confused about is why there was no protocol in place for such emergencies. Why didn't the person in charge of that area (fire marshal) Manager etc hit the kill switch (assuming there was one) so that everything in that area came to a halt.... This could have stopped the fire from spreading & ultimately saved the building.
Previously I said:
From my link:Article said:
However, Ocado said the warehouse robots were immobilized by a safety system as soon as the fire alarm was activated
Electronicpants said:
Penelope Stopit said:
The robots didn't stand a chance, they were burnt to death
I heard one got out after a scuffle with another, rumour is that's how the fire started 
valiant said:
Penelope Stopit said:
The robots didn't stand a chance, they were burnt to death
They gave their lives so that we could have our organic quinoa.I’ll be holding a two minute silence to honour our fallen heros. <wipestearsfromeyes>
Cold said:
boobles said:
The one thing that I am confused about is why there was no protocol in place for such emergencies. Why didn't the person in charge of that area (fire marshal) Manager etc hit the kill switch (assuming there was one) so that everything in that area came to a halt.... This could have stopped the fire from spreading & ultimately saved the building.
Previously I said:
From my link:Article said:
However, Ocado said the warehouse robots were immobilized by a safety system as soon as the fire alarm was activated
SHutchinson said:
The robots can operate in the dark (as per the sales pitch video), why not make them operate in an oxygen-free environment too. Airlock, inert gas, no fires. I'm a genius. Where do I collect my money?
You need a cheap inert gas, CO2?. Making the building airtight not a small job with huge artic unloading bay doors etc.. The problem might be if something trivial needs fixing you would need to refresh the atmosphere in the whole building before you could go in unless you wanted to use full breathing apparatus.
peterperkins said:
You need a cheap inert gas, CO2?. Making the building airtight not a small job with huge artic unloading bay doors etc..
The problem might be if something trivial needs fixing you would need to refresh the atmosphere in the whole building before you could go in unless you wanted to use full breathing apparatus.
The robots deliver the boxes to human operators who take the item out of the box (generally) and pack it into another box/shipping pack. That would mean passing it through an air lock in/out slowing down the process or leaking the inert gas to the person who would then need a respirator.The problem might be if something trivial needs fixing you would need to refresh the atmosphere in the whole building before you could go in unless you wanted to use full breathing apparatus.
The person is used for that role as they can easily pick up pretty much anything that will be in the box where as getting a robot to do that would be a sensing/computational challenge and not cost effective. Robots still work best if hey can do exactly the same thing everytime though of course there are developments aimed at changing this.
Also, and possibly a contributing factor to why the Fire Brigade struggled is that robots don't need as much space as a human, so racking/pick points can be closer/more tightly packed, therefore more stock in the same space as a non robot shed or the same stock in a smaller shed.
However, if a human has to go in to that space to work then there's not really the room to move/work.
It is a constant balance by the big darkshed operators.
However, if a human has to go in to that space to work then there's not really the room to move/work.
It is a constant balance by the big darkshed operators.
boobles said:
The one thing that I am confused about is why there was no protocol in place for such emergencies. Why didn't the person in charge of that area (fire marshal) Manager etc hit the kill switch (assuming there was one) so that everything in that area came to a halt.... This could have stopped the fire from spreading & ultimately saved the building.
Even more normal warehouses regularly get destroyed by fire. It always amazes me when you see them blazing - you'd think blast the fire with a few jets of water and it woud go out. But it's apparently a bit more complicated than that.Seems Ocado has been unable to find suitable alternative premises so it laying off 400 staff while they rebuild the current warehouse.
Not seen mention of what's happening to the other 400 staff they had - you'd think if they'd found somewhere to operate manually then that would need even more staff.
Not seen mention of what's happening to the other 400 staff they had - you'd think if they'd found somewhere to operate manually then that would need even more staff.
So it's looking likely that most of them will be made redundant. Some are still travelling to Erith each day by coach but knowing what the outcome will be is beginning to annoy most of them. There seems to be a divide between the "volunteers" & the ones still on full pay & sitting on their backsides. It also came to light that there was a "fun" day for the ones sitting at home where gifts etc were handed out whilst the other members of staff were actually earning their money. Another company had posted up locally that should any Ocado staff want employment with them, they should contact them. Ocado didn't like this approach & I believe words were exchanged.
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