FOCUS
Heated subject Chris Andrews explains the principal risks
associated with hot work and asks whether we are doing enough to mitigate them
source which time and time again causes injury or death, signifi cant damage to property, and ruins businesses. In my view, it is a completely avoidable cause of fi re, and while none of the following commentary is new, there still exists a failure to learn from numerous incidents, even when we know the right thing to do.
O High risks
Hot work includes any activity that generates or requires the use of fl ame, heat or sparks. So, whether it’s working with angle grinders, tar boilers on roofs or welding pipes, there is an increased risk of fi re – and not just when work is being carried out. There have been many instances where unseen smouldering has developed into a large fire several hours after work was carried out. In the most extreme cases, delayed ignition has been in excess of 12 hours following completion of the hot work task. By its very nature, hot work is an extremely risky task, as it involves the introduction of
38 JUNE 2018
www.frmjournal.com
VER THE course of my career, I have been involved with many fire losses attributable to hot work – an ignition
hazardous materials or activities into the workplace. It can combine heat and ignition sources, be in close proximity to combustible materials (fuel), and include oxygen (air), readily forming the fire triangle. In more hazardous cases, it can use highly fl ammable and unstable gases such as acetylene in oxy fuel welding. Further examples of equipment used
are soldering irons; brazing; welding and cutting; blow lamps, blow torches and heaters; electrically powered hot air guns or blowers – all with their own unique hazards that, if not controlled properly, make a location more vulnerable to a potential fire incident. On most sites, hot work can be carried
out as part of routine maintenance during construction or refurbishment activity, etc. It may be carried out by an in house maintenance team or by external third party contractors. Whoever completes the task, the risk still exists. For whatever reason, and however
infrequently it is completed, such work continues to be a major cause of fi re within commercial properties.
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