​A4.3.1 Introduction

Buildings undergoing construction, major alterations, repair or maintenance, are particularly vulnerable to fire and smoke spread. Structural fire and smoke stops such as walls, doors, floors and ceilings may be incomplete. Techniques employed may involve flame, heat or spark producing apparatus. Fire protection equipment, e.g., dampers, smoke detectors or audible warning devices may not yet be operational, or may be isolated during the works.

A fire originating on a Contractor's site may put personnel and property at risk in areas immediately adjacent to the site.
In an occupied building, staff, visitors and other contractors may be put at risk by a fire originating within the Contractors working area.
Contractors and STFC staff are required to comply with all aspects of fire precautions outlined in this Code in addition to any other specification requirements relating to fire precautions and shall ensure compliance by their sub contractors.

This Fire Code does not relieve Contractors of their responsibility for taking all reasonably practical precautions. Particular attention is drawn to the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations as revised.

The specified fire precautions may only be varied on the written authority of the Fire Safety Advisor
‘Means of Escape’ is defined as ‘structural means whereby persons may turn their backs on a fire and, by their own unaided efforts, proceed to a place of safety'. Contractors are to ensure not only that adequate means of escape are provided for their own staff but that all means of escape in neighbouring areas are kept unobstructed and available for immediate use by others at all times.

All fire precautions in neighbouring areas are to be observed i.e. any works affecting fire doors, fire alarms or other fire precautions in neighbouring areas must be discussed in advance between the Contractor and the Contract Supervising Officer.

Explosives or cartridge operated fixing tools are not to be used or stored on any STFC site without the written permission of the Contract Supervising Officer.
The Contractor and their staff will be expected to comply with any fire drills and tests of the fire alarm which may be arranged during the contract period. The Contractor shall have procedures in place for evacuating his staff in the event of fire originating within his work area. These procedures shall be tested periodically.

Where a particularly dangerous or fire sensitive operation cannot be avoided the Fire Safety Advisor may require an additional Method Statement(s) to be submitted for his approval prior to any work commencing.

Prior to any work being carried out in sensitive areas or areas that in themselves are deemed to be a high risk regarding fire and safety, the Contract Supervising Officer will consult with the Fire Safety Advisor.

A4.3.2 Site Establishment

Contractor's site huts and accommodation shall only be placed in locations previously agreed with the Contract Supervising Officer. Contractors are required to submit plans of the proposed layout of accommodation, storage areas and rubbish skips, including those to be used by their sub-contractors. Any variation of these arrangements must be agreed in writing with the Contract Supervising Officer. There shall be no storage of flammable materials either within or under the accommodation.

To prevent rapid spread of fire, temporary buildings and combustible storage are to be sited, wherever possible, outside the main buildings and as far apart as space allows. Site huts shall be of fire-resisting construction such as to contain a fire for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Undergrowth and grass within 6m of temporary buildings and storage areas shall be kept short. Only a safe type weed killer e.g., those with a fire suppressant, may be used.

As far as possible, access to the site is to be at least 3.1m wide and 4m high and kept clear for use by Fire Service Emergency vehicles.

Fire hydrants are to be kept clear and readily accessible at all times and shall not be used without the written permission of the Fire Safety Advisor.

Hydrant indicator post and plates and hydrant pit covers are not to be removed or obstructed.

Where the work area is given over entirely to the Contractor, an example being an extension to an existing building then a fire resisting barrier of 1 hour standard is to be maintained between the Contract site and the remainder of the building.

Any opening made in fire resisting construction forming the site boundary is to be packed solid with mineral wool, intumescent pillows or intumescent putty at the end of the working day. These materials are to be supplied by the Contractor and maintained in good condition for the duration of the contract.

All openings made in compartment walls are to be stopped up at the end of the working day and made good at the end of the job. Openings and voids discovered during the course of the work shall be identified to the Contract Supervising Officer and Fire Safety Advisor.

Temporary protective sheeting and all weather sheets attached to the building, to scaffolding or hoardings shall be inherently non-combustible.

If required as part of  the contract the Contractor shall appoint a Fire Warden to his staff who will be responsible for ensuring that all fire precautions specified in the contract are observed at all times for the duration of the works.

The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring that the Fire Warden is properly trained in his duties.

The Contractor shall ensure that his operatives are adequately trained in the fire precautions necessary for the job.

Areas containing easily ignitable material and places where flame or spark producing apparatus have been used are to be inspected by the Contractor at meal breaks and at the cessation of work, to ensure that no conditions exist which might lead to an outbreak of fire.

Each inspection tour is to include the whole area of the works, temporary buildings and storage areas.

A further check is to be made by the Contractor one hour after the cessation of hot works for the day.

Processes involving the use of welding apparatus, cutting equipment and other flame or spark producing apparatus may be required by the Fire Safety Advisor to be witnessed by a Fire Watcher, appointed from the Contractor's staff. Such watchers shall be equipped with fire fighting equipment, supplied by the Contractor, commensurate with the particular operation and shall be properly trained in its use.

A4.3.3 Hot Work Inspections

Unless agreed otherwise with the Fire Safety Adviser, where it is necessary for Contractor to carry out a hot work process the Contractor is required to apply for a Hot Work Permit in accordance with procedures set out in STFC SHE Code 19. These are only obtainable from an STFC employee properly authorised to issue such permits and are therefore not included within these procedure notes.

The operative must obtain this permit BEFORE work commences and carry a copy of the Permit with him until the particular task is completed, the area checked after one hour and the Hot Work Permit signed off by the Contractor and returned to the Issuer of the Permit.

Where there is a Site Manager on site, it is he/she or their representative who will apply for the Hot Work Permits required by their own, or their sub contractor staff.

Where hot work has been in progress it is the Contractor's responsibility to inspect the area one hour after operatives have finished any hot work to ensure that the site is left in a safe condition. Such visits and patrols may be augmented at any time by the Fire Safety Advisor, or other authorised persons.

Areas in the vicinity of the hot work shall be closely examined to ensure that there is no smouldering or incipient fire. The danger area may extend to include cavities, voids, rooms, cupboards, ducts or any concealed space where, despite the precautions taken, flame, hot sparks or conducted heat may have penetrated.

Contractors shall provide extinguishers, suitable in type and sufficient number, to cover their area of work. The Contractor shall submit a proposal regarding extinguishers to the Fire Safety Advisor for approval. All extinguishers are to be kept in full working order throughout the duration of the works.

Welding, cutting, brazing, disc cutting, plumbers furnaces and other flame or spark producing apparatus are to be operated only by skilled personnel, each of whom shall be made aware of the safety precautions relevant to the job in hand.

All litter, rubbish and combustible material shall be removed from the vicinity of the work to be undertaken. Where combustible material is fixed or immovable, it shall be protected with non-combustible material such as sheet metal, fire resisting board or a fire blanket.

Floors which might otherwise be damaged shall be protected from heat, sparks, flames or hot slag.

Special care is to be taken to prevent flame, sparks or molten metal from reaching or entering ducts, channels, chases or open ended pipes, or through openings in walls or floors. Non-combustible material shall be used for the plugging of holes.

The possibility of heat being conducted by fixed metal work, i.e., through partitions, walls or floors, shall be investigated and combustible material in contact with such metal items shall be removed.

Flame or spark producing apparatus shall not be used near containers of highly flammable liquids or gases, whether they are full or empty.

Heat or flame producing apparatus shall not be left unattended when alight.

An adequate number of appropriate fire fighting appliances are to be placed readily at hand until all possibility of an outbreak of fire has passed.

The use of blowlamps is strictly prohibited unless agreed by the Fire Safety Adviser. This will normally only be approved for roofing and road work.
Electric element paint strippers will only be used with the permission of the Fire Safety Advisor. These are not to be left in contact with combustible material and the plug is to be removed from the socket during breaks and when work ceases for the day.

Liquids used for the removal of paint, varnish or polish must conform to BS: 3761

Deposits of all stripped materials are to be collected from the working area and removed to the approved storage point at the end of each working day.

A4.3.4 Highly Flammable Liquids

Wherever possible, highly flammable substances should be replaced by less hazardous ones, e.g. petroleum based adhesive should be replaced with a water based product.

Highly Flammable liquids are to be kept wherever possible in their original supply containers which must be capable of being securely closed. Petrol containers are to be marked ‘PETROLEUM SPIRIT - HIGHLY FLAMMABLE’. Containers for other flammable liquids are to be appropriately and legibly marked. None of these are to be brought into the buildings.

All such containers are to be kept in a locked metal bin (maximum contents 50 litres) provided by the Contractor and kept in the open air. There must be a warning sign in the vicinity to indicate ‘NO SMOKING - PETROLEUM SPIRIT - HIGHLY FLAMMABLE’. More than one bin may be permitted at the discretion of The Fire Safety Advisor.

Flammable paints in quantities exceeding 50 litres are to be treated as flammable liquids.

Highly flammable liquids are not to be exposed within 5 metres of a naked flame, electrical apparatus capable of igniting vapours, or any other possible source of ignition.

Any decanting of these liquids is to be carried out in the open air. Caps and stoppers are to be replaced securely on all containers when not in use.

Only sufficient quantities of the liquid (10 litres) are to be taken from stores.

Empty containers are to be securely capped and returned to store.

Tanks of petrol engines are not to be filled while the engine is running.

Staff who handle flammable substances or hazardous chemicals should be properly trained in their safe handling. They should also understand the properties of the substances sufficiently to recognise circumstances which increase the risk of fire, e.g. they should know if heavier-than-air flammable vapours are given off and how these can travel considerable distances to reach a source of ignition.

Spraying highly flammable liquids will not be permitted on STFC sites without written permission from the Fire Safety Advisor.

A4.3.5 Compressed Gas Cylinders

All gas cylinders are to be sited away from sources of heat or potential fire risks, regardless of whether or not the contents of the cylinder are flammable, and whether they are full or empty. None shall be permitted to remain within the building overnight.

Full and empty cylinders are to be kept separate in a safe position previously agreed with the Fire Safety Advisor

Cylinders containing flammable gases such as acetylene and propane are to be kept separately from those which support combustion such as oxygen and compressed air. Cylinder stores are to be prominently indicated by suitable signs or notices.

Use of Acetylene is discouraged. However, where there is no alternative, the Fire Safety Advisor is will use his/her discretion and may allow its use subject to the following:

Prior to the use of Acetylene on site, authorisation and a permit must be obtained from the Fire Safety Advisor. Acetylene cylinders shall be stored and used at all times in the upright position and shall not be left within any building overnight or at weekends. At the cessation of work the main valves must be firmly closed and cutting torches and tubing removed. In no circumstances may any gas cutting equipment be left alight and unattended.

Only the cylinders required for operating an appliance may be brought into any building and in the case of LPG, the cylinder capacity must not exceed 15 kg.

Note: Unlike mains gas, LPG vapours are heavier than air and will accumulate at low level.

Unless authorised otherwise by the Fire Safety Adviser boilers for tar or other bituminous materials shall be sited in a safe place on the ground, on a firm flat and level surface and a be a minimum of 3m away from their propane cylinders, and any building.

The boiler must not be allowed to overheat or run low and the gas supply must be turned off before leaving the boiler unattended, even for short periods. Lighted tar boilers shall be attended at all times.

No more than 2 cylinders of size 47Kg are to be in the vicinity of the boiler at any one time.

A4.3.6 General

All drying out or temporary heating of the works shall be achieved using electrical appliances. Space heaters and LPG furnaces are not to be used unless agreed by the Fire Safety Adviser.

Temporary electric heating appliances are to be of the enclosed type, securely fixed and guarded.

The Contractor shall at all times ensure that an adequate numbers of escape routes are provided, properly signed and adequately illuminated. In occupied buildings the contractor shall ensure that existing escape routes are kept clear at all times. Storage of materials is not permitted within designated escape routes.

Temporary lighting must be of a good standard and in good repair. Any cable runs must not compromise fire escape routes. Temporary lighting must be supplied where works have disabled existing escape lighting.

To ensure the safe operation of the alarms systems on site and to prevent unwanted nuisance alarm activations certain isolation’s may be required. Any such isolation shall be carried out under a Permit to Work System and a copy of the permit to be displayed prominently at the panel in question. No works shall commence until a properly completed permit has been issued.
Temporary ‘capping’ or covering of detector heads is not permitted at any time except where used to prevent the detector becoming contaminated by dust or similar. Head(s) that are intended to be covered shall be specified on the Permit to Work.

Electric kettles are to be of a type incorporating a safety cut out which will prevent them boiling dry. They are to stand on a non combustible base when in use.

Food preparation is only to be undertaken in properly appointed mess huts.

Smoking is prohibited within buildings and permanent ‘NO SMOKING’ notices complying with BS: 5499 shall be provided by the Contractor and displayed throughout the working area.

Places where operatives may smoke will be notified by the Fire Safety Advisor upon request.

Contractors and their staff are required, when working in STFC buildings, to sign in and out of the Contractors Log.

Failure to comply with STFC rules may result in Contractors and their staff being removed from site.

Note:  The Storage of Highly Flammable Liquids & Gases is Subject to the requirements of the DSEAR regulations, as revised, with particular reference to:-

HSE ACoP L135 – The Storage of Dangerous Substances