Introduction to Fire Safety Management

8.4.14 Electrical and gas supplies, installations 
and equipment
As with all electrical supplies and installations those 
relating to construction operations should be installed 
in accordance with the IEE Wiring Regulations. 
Arrangements should be established that all contractors 
on site ensure that their electrical equipment is portable 
appliance tested in accordance with HSE’s guidelines 
in HSG141. The frequency of test differs from that in an 
offi ce, hotel, etc. environment in that the arduous envir-
onment in which the equipment is used reduces the time 
frames between tests as detailed in Table 8.4.
Care must also be taken in terms of routing cables 
and the provision of temporary electrical supplies to 
ensure that they are kept free from water and plant/
vehicle movements.
Temporary lighting, particularly halogen units, 
should be installed and located away from combustible/
fl ammable materials. Ideally, any electrical plugs should 
be removed when not in use.
The control of use and installation of gas supplies 
on a construction site must also adhere to the same 
requirements as those on permanent sites. Installation 
must be by a CORGI registered gas fi tter and it is 

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Causes and prevention of fi re
163
prudent that the main or principal contractor ensures 
that the fi tter is from an approved and registered list.
A large proportion of hot work is undertaken utilis-
ing LPG cylinders and thus controls in relation to the 
cylinders are included within the section on hot work.
8.4.15 Hot 
work
Ideally, the need for hot work should be eliminated by 
the use of alternative methods, e.g. bolting component 
parts rather than welding. However, where this cannot 
be achieved a dedicated area remote from fuel sources 
such as combustible waste materials, fl ammable vapours 
and combustible parts of the building structure should 
be considered.
It may be possible to establish a ‘safe haven’ by 
erecting a temporary fabrication (fab) shop on site where 
the hot work may be undertaken. This will also assist in 
the management of ill-heath issues such as weld fumes 
as dedicated LEV can be introduced into the fab shop.
These temporary fab shops comprise:
➤
Non-combustible fl oors or ceilings or alternatively 
fl oors and walls with fl exible protective coverings 
that conform to LPS1207
➤
Where protective fl exible coverings are installed they 
are installed by a competent person to ensure that 
appropriate overlapping is achieved
➤
Electrical supplies may be intrinsically safe depend-
ent upon the hot work processes being undertaken, 
e.g. the use of LPG
➤
Storage of combustible materials within the fab 
shop should be prohibited
➤
Extraction systems to remove airborne contam-
inants should be installed
➤
Detection systems (heat or rate of rise) may be 
installed
➤
Fire 
fi ghting equipment (fi re extinguishers) should be 
provided.
Hot work permits as part of a ‘permit to work’ system 
may be adopted for work within the fab shop. However, 
such systems must be adopted on all other areas of site 
unless there is minimal risk of damage to surrounding 
property.
Hot work permits are formal management docu-
ments which support the control of the safe systems of 
work or methods of work. Permits themselves should not 
be issued as general or blanket authorisations as this can 
lead to complacency when permits are issued as a matter