Assessment of fire risk management practices in Sri Lankan warehouses

Abstract

Built environments such as warehouses are identified as high-risk areas due to combustible materials, diverse storage configurations, and continuous operational activities. Storage occupancies have been recognised globally as significant contributors to fire losses, resulting in economic disruption and safety challenges. In developing countries, the effectiveness of fire safety governance is often constrained by limitations in regulatory enforcement, implementation, and maintenance practices. Although fire safety regulations exist in Sri Lanka, limited empirical attention has been given to evaluating how effectively these regulations translate into fire risk management practices in warehouse operations. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of fire risk man-agement practices in Sri Lankan warehouse operations by examining regulatory requirements, the performance of active and passive fire protection systems, and their implementation in practice. The findings indicate that while regulatory requirements provide a foundational structure for fire safety, implementation remains largely compliance driven. Inadequate maintenance regimes, weak system integration, and limited monitoring mecha-nisms compromise the reliability of protection systems. By reframing warehouse fire safety within facilities management, this study contributes to the discourse on safety governance and risk control, supporting system-atic, performance-focused fire risk management aligned with the FMF 2026 theme on Integrated Safety and Risk Management for Total Wellbeing.