Introduction to Fire Safety Management

8.2
Causes of fi re relating to 
construction and maintenance
Many of the causes of fi re detailed above can relate to 
work involving construction and maintenance oper-
ations. Equally the preventive measures that may be 
adopted to minimise the risk of a fi re occurring in con-
struction and maintenance operations may be equally 
valid across many sectors of industry. This section of the 
book will look at specifi c causes of fi res in construction 
and maintenance operations.
A large proportion of fi 
res started within the 
construction sector fall under the following key headings:
➤
Arson
➤
Electrical
➤
Hot 
work
➤
Flammable and combustible substances.
As arson is dealt with in a section on its own within this 
section the fi rst area to be addressed will be electrical 
causes of fi re.
8.2.1 Temporary electrical installations
While similar in nature to electrical systems utilised 
within permanent structures those used in construction 
and maintenance operations are subject to potentially 
more arduous or hostile environments.
Some common electrical faults in construction and 
maintenance operations that pose fi re hazards include:
➤
The overloading of electrical sockets and systems in 
site accommodation
➤
The incorrect use of fl at twin and earth cable as 
extension leads instead of suitable fl exible cable
➤
Electrical cables or lighting laid on or near combust-
ible material (frequently in roof and ceiling voids)
➤
Mechanical damage to cables, often as a result of 
inappropriate routing of cables
➤
The intentional defeating of safety devices, such as 
fuses or circuit breakers (use of metal objects such 
as nails)
➤
The accumulation of combustible rubbish against 
temporary distribution boards and transformers
➤
Unauthorised make-shift cable joints made without 
correct proprietary connectors.
In addition to the above issues fi res have been started 
by inappropriate location of temporary site and task 
lighting particularly when using halogen lighting sys-
tems in close proximity to fl ammable or combustible 
materials.
Figure 8.6
Typical hot works include welding

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