Fire safety in under construction site a
short note
General Fire
What you need to do
Although the construction industry’s performance has
improved over the past decade, the rates of death, serious injury and ill
health for construction site workers are still too high. When construction
activities are not adequately controlled, children and other members of the
public can also be killed or injured, and property adjacent to construction
sites be put at risk – for example, from a site fire large enough to spread
off-site. The responsible person will usually be the main or
principal contractor in control of the site.
You should identify sources of fuel
and ignition and establish general fire precautions including, means of escape,
warning and fighting fire, based on your fire risk assessment.
In occupied buildings such as
offices, make sure the work does not interfere with existing escape routes from
the building, or any fire separation, alarms, dry risers, or sprinkler systems.
Key issues are:
·
Risk assessment
·
Means of escape
·
Means of giving
warning
·
Means of fighting
fire
Construction of timber frame
buildings will require significant additional measures – please refer to the
specific guidance listed.
What you need to know
Each year there a number of serious
fires on construction sites and buildings undergoing refurbishment.
Risk assessment
In most cases, conducting a risk
assessment will be a relatively straightforward and simple task that may be
carried out by the responsible person, or a person they nominate, such as a
consultant.
There are five steps in carrying out
a fire risk assessment:
1.
Identify hazards:
consider how a fire could start and what could burn;
2.
People at risk:
employees, contractors, visitors and anyone who is vulnerable, eg disabled;
3.
Evaluation and action:
consider the hazards and people identified in 1 and 2 and act to remove and
reduce risk to protect people and premises;
4.
Record, plan and train:
keep a record of the risks and action taken. Make a clear plan for fire safety
and ensure that people understand what they need to do in the event of a fire;
and
5.
Review: your
assessment regularly and check it takes account of any changes on site.
Means of escape
Key aspects to providing safe means of escape on construction
sites include:
·
Routes: your risk assessment should determine
the escape routes required, which must be kept available and unobstructed;
·
Alternatives:well-separated alternative ways to
ground level should be provided where possible;
·
Protection: routes can be protected by
installing permanent fire separation and fire doors as soon as possible;
·
Assembly: make sure escape routes give access to
a safe place where people can assemble and be accounted for. On a small site
the pavement outside may be adequate; and
·
Signs: will be needed if people are not familiar
with the escape routes. Lighting should be provided for enclosed escape routes
and emergency lighting may be required.
Means of giving warning
Set up a system to alert people on site. This may be temporary
or permanent mains operated fire alarm (tested regularly), a klaxon, an air
horn or a whistle, depending on the size and complexity of the site.
The warning needs to be distinctive, audible above other noise and recognizable
by everyone.
Means of fighting fire
Fire extinguishers should be located at identified fire points
around the site. The extinguishers should be appropriate to the nature of the
potential fire:
·
wood, paper and cloth – water extinguisher;
·
flammable liquids – dry powder or foam
extinguisher;
·
electrical – carbon dioxide (C02) extinguisher.
·
Nominated people should be trained in how to use
extinguishers.
Process fire risks
What you need to do
The fire risk from site activities must be assessed and
precautions taken to control:
· Combustible material – the quantity of
combustible materials on site should be kept to the minimum and all such
materials safely stored and used.
·
Ignition sources – action is needed to
eliminate, reduce and control ignition sources on site.
Construction of timber frame buildings will require significant
additional measures to those outlined here. You should refer to the specific
guidance listed in Resources, below.
What you need to know
Each year there are a number of serious fires on construction
sites and buildings undergoing refurbishment. Many could be avoided by careful
planning and control of work activities.
Any outbreak of fire threatens the safety of those on site and
will be costly in damage and delay. It can also be a hazard to people in
surrounding properties.
Fire can be a particular hazard in refurbishment work when there
is a lot of dry timber and at the later stages of building jobs where flammable
materials such as adhesives, insulating materials and soft furnishings are
present
Combustible material
Many solids, liquids and gases can catch fire and burn. It only
takes a source of ignition, which may be a small flame or an electrical spark,
together with air. Preventive actions that can be taken include:
1.
Quantity: fire
risk can be reduced by controlling the amount of combustible material in the
work area until it is needed;
2.
Flammability: it
may be possible to specify materials that are less combustible. Remember that
when worked on, materials may become more easily ignited eg solids turned to
dust or crumb;
3.
Storage: combustible
materials should ideally be stored outside buildings under construction,
especially volatile materials eg LPG. Internal storage must be planned and
located where it will not put workers at risk;
4.
Rubbish: good
housekeeping and site tidiness are important to prevent fire and to ensure that
emergency routes do not become obstructed;
5.
Volatile flammable
materials: extra precautions are needed for flammable liquids,
gases and oxygen cylinders especially when internally stored;
6.
Coverings and sheeting: protective
coverings and scaffold sheeting may add to fire risk. This can be reduced by
use of flame retardant materials;
7.
LPG: liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) is widely used in construction eg in connection with
bitumen boilers and site accommodation. LPG has been involved in many serious
fires and explosions, particularly where there have been leaks in confined
areas. Strict precautions are required where LPG is stored and used; and
8.
Tanks and services: demolition
projects can involve an increased risk of fire and explosion. Dismantling of
tank structures may cause ignition of flammable residues or disruption and
ignition of buried gas services.
Ignition sources
It is important that you take action to control ignition sources
including:
Hot work: all hot work generating
heat, sparks or flame can cause a fire. Precautions include:
·
clearing the area of combustible materials;
·
suitable fire extinguishers; and
·
maintaining a careful watch throughout the work.
·
a permit to work (PTW) system can help manage
the risk on larger projects.
Plant and equipment: select electrical and engine driven plant of suitable capacity
to prevent overheating. Fasten lamps to a solid backing and, if mounted on
tripods, make sure the tripod is stable. Electrical equipment in flammable
atmospheres must be suitable for the nature and extent of the flammable
atmosphere;
Smoking: bring the rules on smoking to the attention of all workers and
visitors to the site and enforce them;
Electrical installations: should be of sufficient capacity for the intended use and
designed, installed, inspected and maintained by competent people;
Bonfires: should not normally be allowed on site. There should be
alternative arrangements for the proper disposal of rubbish and waste;
Arson: measures should be in place to prevent unauthorised site access.
Sites with high fire loading or a history of vandalism and arson may need
additional measures eg lighting, out-of-hours security or CCTV.
Thanks for reading, and as always, stay safe.
