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Analysis of Factors Influencing Electrical Fires in Industrial Buildings Using the Fuzzy DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC Method

This study employs a hybrid Fuzzy DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC methodology to analyze 20 risk factors across equipment, personnel, environment, and management dimensions, revealing that inadequate safety regulations are the core root cause of electrical fires in industrial buildings while short-circuit faults act as direct triggers, thereby providing a scientific basis for targeted prevention strategies.

Original authors: songlin jiang, song hao zhu, nie DAN, Guo jun CHEN

Published 2026-06-30
📖 4 min read☕ Coffee break read
CC BY 4.0

Original authors: songlin jiang, song hao zhu, nie DAN, Guo jun CHEN

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ✨ This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer

Imagine a massive industrial factory as a giant, complex machine. Inside this machine, electricity is the blood flowing through its veins, keeping everything running. But sometimes, this blood gets too hot, leaks, or sparks, causing a fire.

This paper is like a team of detectives trying to figure out exactly why these electrical fires happen in factories and how the different clues fit together. Instead of just guessing, they used a special "three-tool kit" to solve the mystery.

Here is a simple breakdown of their investigation:

1. The Suspects (The 20 Factors)

First, the researchers listed 20 different "suspects" that could start a fire. They grouped them into four categories:

  • The Equipment: Old wires, loose connections, or machines running too hot.
  • The People: Workers who aren't trained, ignore warning signs, or break the rules.
  • The Environment: Dust, humidity, corrosive gases, or vibrations shaking the wires loose.
  • The Management: Broken rules, lack of safety checks, or nobody knowing who is in charge.

2. The Three-Tool Detective Kit

To understand how these suspects work together, the researchers used three specific methods, which they combined like a super-sleuth team:

  • Tool 1: The "Influence Map" (Fuzzy DEMATEL)

    • The Analogy: Imagine a group of experts playing a game of "Who influences whom?" They rated how much one factor (like "bad management") pushes another factor (like "unsafe workers") toward a fire.
    • What it found: This tool separated the Root Causes from the Final Triggers.
      • Root Causes (The Drivers): These are the big bosses. The study found that inadequate safety regulations (F16) is the #1 boss. If the rules are weak, everything else goes wrong. Other big drivers include unclear responsibilities and lack of training.
      • Final Triggers (The Victims): These are the things that actually light the match. The study found that short circuits (F2) and ground faults (F5) are the most common things that actually start the fire. They are the "outcome" of all the other problems.

  • Tool 2: The "Ladder" (ISM)

    • The Analogy: Once they knew who influenced whom, they built a 7-step ladder to show the order of events. You can't skip a step; the fire happens because the problem flows down from the top to the bottom.
    • The Ladder:
      1. Top (The Root): Bad safety systems and unclear rules.
      2. Middle: This leads to untrained workers and people breaking rules.
      3. Lower Middle: This creates bad working conditions (dust, heat, vibrations).
      4. Bottom (The Trigger): Finally, the equipment fails (short circuits), and boom—fire.
    • The Lesson: You can't just fix the bottom of the ladder (the fire); you have to fix the top (the rules) to stop the chain reaction.

  • Tool 3: The "Force vs. Dependence" Chart (MICMAC)

    • The Analogy: Imagine a graph where the X-axis is "How much power do you have?" and the Y-axis is "How much do you rely on others?"
    • What it found:
      • The Independent Powerhouses (Bottom Right): These are the management issues (like bad rules). They don't rely on anything else, but they control almost everything else. If you fix these, you fix the whole system.
      • The Dependent Victims (Top Left): These are the actual fires (short circuits). They rely entirely on the problems above them. They have no power to change anything; they just happen.
      • The Middlemen: Things like "unsafe wiring" or "bad maintenance" sit in the middle, passing the trouble from the managers down to the equipment.

The Big Picture Conclusion

The study concludes that electrical fires in factories aren't just random accidents. They are a chain reaction.

  1. It starts with Management failing to set good rules or assign clear responsibilities.
  2. This causes People to be untrained or to break rules.
  3. This leads to Environment and Equipment getting damaged or worn out.
  4. Finally, the Equipment fails (short circuits), causing a fire.

The Takeaway: To stop the fires, you can't just put out the flames or fix the broken wires at the end. You have to start at the very top of the chain: fix the safety rules and management systems. If you fix the "boss" (the management), the whole chain of events changes, and the fire never gets a chance to start.

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