BUILDING SAFETY
More than four in five hot work fires begin with welding and cutting
New analysis of more than 26,000 non-dwelling fire incidents
recorded by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the scale of fires caused by hot work activities (tasks such as welding, cutting and blow lamp use) across England over the last two financial years
F
ire training specialists, CE Safety, analysed ONS data to identify all incidents where the source of ignition was linked to hot works across England’s Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) areas and has called for the correct precautions to be in place when conducting hot works. In 2023/24, there were 199 hot work-related fires, with 85% caused by welding or cutting. In 2024/25, hot work fires fell by 9% to 182 incidents (1.3% of all non-dwelling
fires), yet the proportion caused by welding or cutting remained unchanged at 85%, showing these activities continue to be the dominant ignition source. Looking at how many of these fires specifically happened in the construction industry, in 23/24, 12 happened in buildings under construction, and in 24/25 there were eight incidents. Across both financial years, a total of 32 fires relating to hot works had at least one casualty/ fatality at the scene of the incident, with 19 in 23/24 and 13 in 24/25. The data also highlighted which FRS regions in England recorded the most hot work-related
fires in 2024/25. The regions with the highest proportion of hot work fires, compared with all non-dwelling fires that year, were Cumbria (4.55%), Derbyshire (4.06%), Cornwall & Isles of Scilly (3.85%), North Yorkshire (3.57%), and Hereford and Worcester (3.5%). London Fire Brigade reported the highest number of hot work fires with a total of 14 incidents, however, this only accounted for 0.81% of all non-dwelling fires in the region. In comparison, the five regions with the highest percentage of hot work fires in 23/24 were:
• Northumberland (4.6%) • Hertfordshire (3.98%) • Devon & Somerset (3.91%) • West Yorkshire (3%) • North Yorkshire (2.93%)
Gary Ellis, managing director of CE Safety commented: “While the number of fires related to hot works don’t contribute to a huge percentage of the total number of fires in England every year, our analysis of data from the ONS still shows that these highly dangerous incidents do still happen consistently every year. Although there was a drop in the number of hot work-related fires in 24/25, this drop was only small and there’s still a significant number of them being attended. However, these fires should be near enough avoidable.” “There is often a lack of managerial oversight of hot work activities. The requirements for a fire risk assessment and hot work permit (HWP) are well known, but in many cases they are generic and treated more like a paper exercise by both the client and the contractor. The data we’ve presented here shows that proper practices should always be put in place when conducting hot works, ensuring everyone has had comprehensive fire training to ensure they stay safe.”
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Feb26.indd 1 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2026 15 15/1/26 10:06 C)
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