Construction sites are full of potential safety hazards. For example, there’s the risk of injury from tools, falling materials, and falling from a certain height yourself. This is exactly why most sites require workers to wear appropriate PPE, such as hard hats, safety boots, and work gloves. This equipment can be quite effective in protecting workers from certain dangers, but there’s one situation where they’re pretty much useless: a fire.
Since fires can cause so much devastation so quickly, it’s important that workers are able to identify and minimize fire risks while going about their daily tasks. Let’s take a look at the basics of construction fire safety.
There are 3 elements that must be present to create a fire: the right amount of oxygen, heat, and fuel. This is commonly referred to as the fire triangle. Then, if you add in the chemical reaction that is fire, you have the fire tetrahedron.
The basics of fire safety are all about keeping these elements away from each other, especially the fuel and heat/ignition sources. Since there are often a ton of these components at a construction site, there are many situations where workers may be at risk.
With so many potential fire hazards around, it can be next to impossible to completely eliminate each and every one. Therefore, the best way for workers to practice fire safety is to try and minimize their risk.
Here are some tips for practicing fire safety at a construction site.
Hot work refers to any kind of work that could create an ignition source, like an open flame or spark. This includes cutting, grinding, and welding.
In order to keep safe during hot work, construction sites should have the following:
These are potential fuel sources. As such, it is important to store all flammable and combustible materials far away from any ignition sources. If they must be used in a risky area, then monitor them closely.
If heaters are required on-site, then they should be used as directed, monitored closely, and be UL certified. A UL certification means that the product has met the safety standards of UL, a leader in safety-related science.
All smoking should be prohibited on construction sites, as cigarettes are a huge fire hazard. Smoking should be limited to designated smoking areas that are far away from any fuel sources, like flammable and combustible materials.
Like smoking, all heat-producing cooking equipment should be banned from construction sites. This includes hot plates, microwave ovens, and grills. This isn’t to say that workers can’t have their breaks on-site – they just can’t cook them there.
Sometimes, workers can take every precaution and fire will still break out. To minimize the damage, be sure to do the following: