RESOURCE PRODUCED BY CSIR BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY & CSIR ROADS AND TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY
RESOURCE PRODUCED BY CSIR BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY & CSIR ROADS AND TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY |
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Office space planning and management toolkit Family Health/Skills Training Centres for Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Project in Jamaica assists in creating safer living environments for the poor CSIR researcher presents paper on Africa's development future Sports stadia from the perspective of the FIFA World Cup World conference tackles sanitation issues Forensic fire investigation update E N Q U I R I E S |
During April 2005, the CSIR was contracted by loss adjustors GAB Robins to investigate the structural damage caused by a fire that broke out in the Knitworks factory in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on 27 April. Damage to the contents and structure of the factory amounted to approximately R100 million. As reported in the November 2004 issue of Akani, the Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa, in association with Proudly South Africa, launched a competition in August 2004 to encourage innovative designers to come up with safe, functional and cost-effective designs for paraffin stoves. Entries in the competition were subjected to stringent testing by the CSIR, while Anina Burger, a certified forensic fire investigator at the CSIR, served on the independent panel of judges. The top entrants in the competition were announced at an awards evening on the eve of National Paraffin Safety Day on 31 May 2005. While none of the entries that were laboratory tested met all the criteria stipulated on the entry form, eight entries were awarded prizes and the organisers believe millions will ultimately benefit from the competition's resulting entries and the efforts of the entrants. The independent panel of judges named six winners of R35 000 each, as permitted in the competition's terms and conditions. The balance of the amount allocated will be used to highlight the issue of paraffin stove safety and further the quest for a stove that meets all the basic safety design criteria through a tender process at a later stage. The original 85 entries to the competition were whittled down to 12, which underwent rigorous independent testing at Sasol's Technology Fuels Research in Sasolburg. Judges included a forensic fire investigator from the CSIR, scientists, government officials, industrial designers, engineers, staff from the SABS, and a health worker. The people whose stoves each merited a prize of R35 000 were:
The entry by Kirsty Smith and Nyradzo Sayika won the two 14-year-old learners from St Andrew's in Bedfordview R10 000 to put toward their school fees. Jim Tembo, a miner from Rustenberg, was awarded R10 000 for his enthusiastic, multiple entries and to cover his costs. The competition has had other beneficial spin-offs too - not only is it a boon for designers and inventors, but it contributed to the Paraffin Safety Association winning the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) award for protecting consumer rights. Related links:
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Over the past few months, the CSIR's Forensic Fire Investigation team has participated in the following initiatives and investigations:
