Bootle, England — A United Kingdom government working group on construction safety has published a guide designed to capture “work practices and innovations that eliminate or reduce the need for hot work or significantly increase the safe undertaking of hot work.”
The guide includes sections on:
- Roofing
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing
- Cutting and welding
The Fire Safety Working Group, within the Construction Industry Advisory Committee, also addresses prefabricated solutions, one in the UK and another in the United States.
Additionally, the guide features case studies along with emerging tools and work practices, which include:
- Controlled hot work
- Robotic fire watch
- Sensor technology
- Digital hot work permits
“Fire remains one of the most serious and persistent risks in construction, and our industry has long relied on procedural controls to manage it,” writes Gary Walpole, chair of the CONIAC Fire Safety Working Group. “In recent years, however, we have seen a decisive shift in how organizations approach ignition risks. The increasing adoption of flame-free methods – across roofing, mechanical systems, prefabrication and cutting – demonstrates that eliminating the cause of fires is not only possible, but achievable at scale.
“A more mature, design-led culture should be the goal, where hot work is no longer treated as a routine activity, but as an exception that requires clear justification.”
CONIAC advises the UK’s workplace regulator, the Health and Safety Executive.
