The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have revised the ‘Fire and Safety in Construction (HSG168) book’, and this second edition can be found now on their website.
The new guidance aims to prevent the thousands of fires which occur every year on construction sites. Fires on construction sites can put the lives of employees and members of the public in danger and is potentially life threatening.
If employees work in a confined area and are responsible for high risk activities which involve heat or fire, especially when combined with working at height, this may make escape extremely difficult and could have serious consequences.
The majority of the information on the HSE website is new; however sections, such as high risk buildings, have been strengthened to include lessons which have been learnt from recent fire disasters.
The detailed advice is for all construction industries and aimed at developers and managers of these sites. The new information informs construction companies about how to adhere to their legal responsibilities in regards to fire safety.
HSE Chief Inspector of Construction, Phillip White commented “Fires can and do kill. They can also badly injure and cause serious human suffering and financial loss. Preventing them must be a priority on any building project.”
This is a reminder of the importance of fire maintenance and following Health and Safety requirements. Whether you are a permanent or temporary construction site, health and safety procedures are still important and must be implemented to create a safe working environment.
There are also various other safety procedures which should be implemented into your site, such as working at height training, fall protection and edge protection.