Hot Work Fire and Fire Protection Impairment

A metal-working company was undertaking renovations to the top floor of its three-story manufacturing facility, which was constructed of brick walls and wood floors, and protected by automatic sprinklers. While an outside contractor was using a cutting torch to remove old piping, hot sparks fell through floor openings surrounding the pipe and started a fire in combustible storage. No formal hot work safety system was being used, and although the company had delegated an employee to oversee the contractor's work, discovery of the fire was delayed due to the lack of a fire watch.

For unknown reasons, the fire protection control valve had been shut prior to the fire. Once the fire was discovered, and it was determined that the sprinklers were not operating, the valve was immediately opened. By this time, the fire had escalated to such a point that over 200 sprinkler heads operated on the second floor. Although the sprinklers ultimately controlled the fire and saved the building from total destruction, substantial smoke, water and fire damage resulted in a significant loss to the company.

Had delays in discovering the fire and opening the fire protection valve not occurred, this fire would typically have been controlled with only four sprinkler heads operating, and the company would have averted a major loss.

Valuable Lessons

• All temporary operations involving hot work introduce potential uncontrolled ignition sources that can result in a serious fire loss to your facility. Hot work includes any temporary operation producing a spark or open flame. Some examples include cutting, welding, brazing, torch-applied roofing, thawing pipe, grinding and soldering.
  
  
• Hot work should be avoided with alternate methods employed, wherever possible.
  
  
• If hot work is unavoidable, a formal written program of management controls and procedures should be adopted. This program should be used to manage all hot work operations, whether conducted by outside contractors or your own employees. Facility management should enforce the program with periodic audits to ensure compliance with all procedures.
  
  
• All fire protection control valves should be maintained wide open at all times to ensure protection is operational in the event of a fire. There are several steps that facility management can take to minimise the potential for out-of-service protection in the event of a fire:
  
  
  1. Lock fire protection control valves in the wide-open position, and provide central station supervision of the fire protection system.
     
     
  2. Establish a formal fire protection impairment system to properly control shutdowns of automatic sprinkler and other protection systems, alarm systems, water supplies, etc.
     
     
  3. Conduct a regular and thorough program of fire protection equipment inspection, housekeeping, hazardous processes, uncontrolled smoking, and other inherent exposures to your facility.