Best Practices

Buildings under construction sometimes have large quantities of combustible material, plastics, paneling, paints, gases, and refuse on sites. When there is a large amount of flammable materials on a building site, fire protection must be taken very seriously.

With so much at risk, it is essential that fire safety policies and procedures are in place. Not only should fire safety prevent the outbreak of a fire, but it also should provide for successful evacuation if a fire does occur. Therefore, you should be familiar with all of the risks and the hazards of a project.

Step 1: Identify the Risks and Hazards

There are three things that are needed to start a fire; heat, fuel and oxygen.

It is important that you be able to observe the following factors and to eliminate them whenever possible.

sources of ignition
naked flames
sparks and arcs
smoking habits
malfunctioning electrical equipment
friction generated from equipment
sources of finely divided fuels such as shavings, sawdust and kindling
flammable liquids and gases , especially LPG
paper, cardboard, trash and debris
a source of oxygen
natural airflow

Smoking

The reason smoking should be prohibited especially in areas where combustibles are located is because smoking habits include the use of open flames and the disposal of smoking materials can be a source of ignition. Large safety signs indicating “no smoking” should be appropriately displayed. Proper discipline of employees who violate smoking regulations need to be enforced.

Step 2: Determine Who is at Risk

It is important to identify just who is most at risk if you have a fire in a building under construction. Construction sites can be a dangerous environment all by themselves. The building becomes more and more dangerous when there is a multitude of workers are plying their trade at different levels in a building. This checklist can be used to improve the safety on your construction site in the event of fire.

Where are the tradesmen and steel workers located within the building?
Can they evacuate safely?
What factors place them in danger?
- flame
- smoke
Potential for structural collapse?

Step 3: Evaluate and Protect

Next it is important to use your findings to implement your fire safe strategies. It is important to remember to:

Reduce the risk of a fire actually occurring
Remove or reduce all sources of ignition
Remove reduce or control the availability of fine fuel such as sawdust, paper and cardboard
Remove or reduce any at excess oxygen
Address the risks to people that are working above you
Be prepared to implement general fire precautions

Step 4: Record, Plan and Train

As in any safety feature there are always further elements to ensuring that your safety assessment of your construction site is managed accordingly and properly thought out.

Record your findings and the necessary actions that should have been done
Ask yourself the question-have I removed or reduced the risk. Are my records accurate regarding the situation
Instruct your work force to make sure they understand how the emergency plan works. Make sure the workforce is trained and drilled in overall strategies

Step 5: Review, Review, Review

The constant monitoring and implementation of your fire risk assessment and completion of periodic fire drills are essential to assuring the safety of a worksite. Construction site conditions change hourly and daily. This means that frequent assessments must be carried out to assure that the measures remain current the reason for a new review may be:

The progression of building construction on the site
Change in labor force on the site
Introduction of a new hazardous substance
Change in the quantities and types of materials
Increase in the number of personnel