Assessing hot work and the risks of renovation

For many businesses across England, this month has been another of lockdown measures, whereby under strict new guidelines, residents are only allowed to leave home for employment purposes (where you cannot work from home, for example, in the construction or manufacturing sectors), exercise, education, medical reasons and to support a vulnerable person.

Citizens are allowed to go to supermarkets, but for essential visits only - with non-essential stores closing until 2 December 2020. Therefore, a number of commercial businesses, council services and sites will be closed during the second lockdown. 

During this period of temporary ‘shutdown’, some firms may turn their attention to renovating buildings or offices, at a time when it should equate to less disruption for their customers, employees and stakeholders. 

Whereas schools and some organisations may also need to take advantage of school holidays this year, such as Christmas to complete renovations – due to closures earlier in 2020, following the first lockdown.

With this in mind, we look at what needs to be taken into account should those renovations require hot work to be completed, due to the significant risk it poses in creating accidental fires. 

Fire risks around the use of hot work

Hot work is frequently used during construction, renovation and maintenance, including planned and emergency repair works – it includes brazing, torch cutting, grinding, soldering and welding. 

According to Freedom of Information data obtained by Zurich, half of all accidental fires on construction sites are sparked by hot work. 

Common causes of hot work fires, include:

• Work such as angle grinding close to combustible materials
• Combustible insulation materials not being protected by non-combustible sheets, for example, when hot work is conducted in or on roofs and plant rooms
• Floor openings or voids not being protected, allowing hot sparks to ignite 

Fires involving hot works, often spread rapidly and can cause momentous property damage and complex injuries - while having a major impact on the community. 

For example, in May 2020, Harrington Junior School, at the heart of its community in Long Eaton, Derbyshire - was burnt to the ground by a large-scale fire, started accidentally during refurbishment work. Fire officials concluded, that the blaze was “most likely caused by hot works taking place on-site", due to ongoing restoration.

As fires such as these represent such a massive risk to life, thankfully, no children were inside at the time and teaching employees and work operatives were evacuated safely. Two firefighters however, sustained minor injuries at the scene. 

It is therefore very important for customers to understand the full range of activities that constitute hot works, including those that involve open flames, and for them to ensure that proper processes are in place to manage the additional risks that accompany them.

Mitigating the fire hazards 

Evidence also shows that one of the most common hot work activities, welding, is involved in 1,000 accidents in the UK each year, leading to around 300 serious injuries. So it’s easy to comprehend why hot work permits are required for any operation involving open flames or producing heat and/or sparks and that they must be prepared by a competent person. 

Although the construction industry has well-established safeguards in place, hot work fires are continuing to break out with alarming regularity. As the recent blaze that destroyed Harrington Junior School highlights, hot work remains a constant threat, and more action is needed to tackle the problem.  

Where hot work is present in the workplace, the contractor should assess the risk of harm this poses to people and property in the event of a fire or explosion. While a combination of approaches, including the use of thermal imaging cameras and hot work training, could help to dramatically reduce the frequency of hot work fires. Costing as little as £400, the devices could prevent millions of pounds worth of damage and reduce the costly impact on local communities.

Stamping out hot work fires

Although adopting thermal cameras represents good practice, there are costs associated with this. 

Therefore, Zurich’s analysis of losses, also indicates there are other measures which can be adopted to help prevent loss:

1. Avoid hot work if possible: Remove hot work to either a designated workshop, ten metres away from the building and other combustible materials or use flame-free techniques
2. Carry out a risk assessment of the work area: Identify all combustible materials within ten metres or 35 feet of the work area, especially voids, openings and lower levels. A photograph of the work area should be captured to help assist with this assessment.
3. Keep a continuous fire watch throughout the task: This should also be in place during any breaks throughout the day and at the end of the hot work. Individuals should be adequately trained and familiar with the risks and exposures of hot work activities. If thermal cameras are not available, taking photographs of the work area during the fire watch can provide proof of the fire watch activity.
4. Follow industry practice: Abide by safeguards such as the Safe2Torch Scheme developed by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Zurich has also developed a short video about the risks of inappropriate hot roofing techniques.

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