Here at Lighthouse we make sites visits on a daily basis and I see from contractors big and small that hot works permits tend to be a paperwork exercise, a lot of the time they get issued and most of the time they are signed by the required people, I have seen sign off the morning after along with the comment “oh I did do it just forgot to sign it”.
My concern is that some of these permits are issued for the week or in some cases 2 weeks and, not for one minute, do I believe that these areas are being checked for flammable materials or cleared from combustibles. Are you using heat proof mats and have you stored you gas bottles safely? Do all the operatives carry there own extinguisher or are they relying on the ones provided for each floor?
PPE
You generally see operatives carrying out hot works wearing gloves, but are these suitable? Have you even checked? What if you’re soldering and it melts your plastic glove to your hand – “ouch”. Please check the BS EN numbers and what one is suitable for what you’re doing.
And finally, the hour fire watch really is important, once finished with your hot works give it an hour before going home, you need to keep check on the area to ensure that a fire doesn’t start, it may not be just a building you save.
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