Fire safety on construction sites: a call to action

Crafting a plan

The Health and Safety Executive’s HSG168 publication, Fire safety in Construction, provides a framework for risk assessment that can underpin an effective fire safety strategy. This includes identifying hazards, understanding behavioural influences, and implementing targeted controls.

Competence is key. Those who are allocated roles and responsibility for fire safety management must be trained, competent and experienced with the correct skills and behaviours to positively influence others on site.

Fires often result from preventable issues such as careless handling of hot materials, misuse of equipment, and insufficient training. Addressing these risks requires proactive planning and regular reviews, particularly in dynamic construction environments, which means that fire safety management is a live, ongoing, changing approach, not a ‘one size fits all’. Key questions to guide such planning include:

• Are fire safety systems adequately secured and maintained?
• How frequently are fire equipment and procedures inspected?
• Do workers have clearly defined and communicated roles?
• How is training adapted for non-native English speakers?
• How often are emergency drills conducted, and what are the outcomes?

Adopting structured management systems such as ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety) can also significantly improve fire risk management. These frameworks provide a systematic approach to:

• resource allocation and training
• emergency planning and drill execution
• regular reviews and updates to safety protocols.

Independent audits and inspections can also help identify gaps in the strategy, ensuring continuous improvement.

Real life application

Construction site fire risk assessment is a key aspect of planning for the construction phase of the WRaP building, and it should take into account the findings and recommendations of other information along the golden thread. This should include the building fire strategy, pre-construction information provided by the Construction (Design and Management) principal designer and Building Safety Act principal designer, and any relevant Building Regulations.

The 10th edition of the Joint Code of Practice on the Protection from Fire of Construction Sites and Buildings Undergoing Renovation (JCoP), published by the FPA, is a readily available guidance tool to help plan, implement, manage, monitor, and review fire safety during the construction phase up until completion and handover of

the building. It is a fully comprehensive document that I would recommend anyone responsible for resourcing and managing construction sites read and apply. Insurance companies can request that construction work is carried out under this Code of Practice regardless of the criteria stated within this document.

When considering the WRaP, there would be no additional responsible person identified as this is a new build construction site – if it was a refurbishment there would be a requirement to cooperate and coordinate with other responsible persons, such as those from the building management company, or any occupying companies.

Usually within the construction phase health and safety plan and the construction phase fire safety plan it is the responsible person who must ensure fire precautions are undertaken as required. A site fire safety plan allows us to clearly outline fire safety measures and identify those responsible for ensuring they are trained and competent for their role and are able to ensure requirements are met. Whilst these requirements are outlined within the JCoP it is important to note a few in relation to the WRaP.

On a site such as this, the fire marshal(s) and deputy(ies) are to be full-time permanent roles based on site or integrated into an existing role due to the scale of the project, number of people, and complexities of the building. A risk assessment should be completed and regularly reviewed in order to determine the number of fire marshals required on site. Appropriate time and resources for this task should be planned and allowed for during all stages of construction.

As the principal contractor is responsible for the whole site it is normal for them to manage any permits on site, however subcontractors may also implement their own controls and any permit to work must be in place and appropriately managed. It is worth noting that individual insurers may have exclusions and particular requirements on companies to adhere to.

Liaising with the fire and rescue service is an important matter, to communicate any significant matters on site, including consideration for emergency access –which must be kept in mind when planning any crane lifts, deliveries, and the general management of contractor parking.

The construction site fire safety plan should be developed on the back of a construction site fire risk assessment with all information considered, such as pre-construction information and golden thread information, such as fire strategies. This includes identifying fire safety critical areas and the control measures that are to be put in place to ensure they have the correct resources allocated.

General site fire precautions must also be considered. In the example site, air horns and hand-held claxons would be ineffective due to the size of the site and methods of construction, plus it is in a busy town centre with environmental noise surrounding it which can affect the way in which noise travels. Therefore interlinked alarms placed at spaces determined by an appropriate risk assessment would be a preferred option on this project.

It is important to ensure that the construction phase fire safety plan is in place throughout the project and updated regularly as the site and people on site will change due to the industry’s very nature. There may be a temptation to significantly reduce the resources made available and the measures implemented as the project ploughs through the budget, but ensuring the safety of people on the site is a legal requirement and the budget and resources must be included and allocated as required.

A shared responsibility

Fire safety on construction sites demands commitment at every level—from leadership to operatives on the ground. By prioritising comprehensive training, fostering a proactive safety culture, and implementing structured management systems, the industry can move closer to eradicating preventable fires and ensuring that every worker returns home safely. We must move beyond the complacency of the ‘It’ll do’ attitude and embrace a culture of vigilance and responsibility to protect lives and livelihoods.

Those constructing the WRaP should speak to their insurance company to understand the requirement to comply with the JCoP. They should also check with those companies awarding the work on their requirements when it comes to fire safety during construction and ensure their company policies and procedures cover the appropriate areas. Finally, they must ensure those appointed to perform tasks are competent to undertake their duties and that their responsibilities are made clear before any works commence. Compromising on fire safety on construction site is simply not an option.