12/10/2020

After a fire, building and business owners are confronted with experts who assess the damage and an insurance company that needs to investigate the cause of the fire, while at the same time running a business and contemplating the rebuild of the damaged building or company, leaving the company in a vulnerable position.

Together with the Dutch Investigation Institute (NLOI B.V.), Efectis helps building and company owners in their hour of need.

To discover the cause of a fire, Efectis uses the scientific method as described in NFPA 921 (guide for fire and explosion investigation). With IAAI-CFI certified investigators, Efectis performs high-quality technical investigations. On top of that, Efectis cooperates with NLOI. NLOI is an ideal contact for building and company owners after a fire, as it can help the building or company owner to interact with insurance companies, government and other agencies involved in the aftermath of a fire.

NLOI also performs a tactical investigation, reviewing documents and interviewing the people involved. This, together with the result from the Efectis technical investigation, a strong case can be built to prevent a court hearing or in the event of legal proceedings.

Another important factor is that NLOI and Efectis perform several root cause analyses after a fire. NLOI conducts follow-up research into the deeper causes of errors or problems that led to the fire damage. This almost always yields improvement proposals in the technical an/or fire protection field, where Efectis’ knowledge is very useful, and also in the field of the company’s safety culture. Together with partners, Efectis then supports in the implementation of those improvements proposals.

A correct technical infrastructure in the field of preventing fire damage, combined with the correct daily actions and decisions of employees throughout the organization, will ensure the safety of the personnel and protection of material assets.

Efectis and NLOI have an impressive track record in performed root cause investigations after a fire in for example a retirement home, a plastic foam laminating company and a fuel cell development company. These three totally different businesses, all had the same problem: safety was not at the top of the agenda. The joint efforts of NLOI and Efectis led to a change in culture to prevent future fires.

For more information contact: René de Feijter – rene.defeijter@efectis.com