As part of your business activities, your premises and professional assets (equipment, machinery, stock, etc.) are exposed to numerous risks, including fire, water damage, electrical faults, machinery breakdown, and theft. To protect yourself in the event of an incident, you have taken out a business comprehensive insurance policy.
As part of its prevention strategy, CSE Global supports you in implementing tailored business comprehensive insurance coverage while also raising awareness of the various risks you may face in your operations.
Hot Work Permit
The hot work permit should be regarded as a key element in fire and explosion risk prevention, rather than just a simple administrative formality.
Indeed, more than 30% of fires result from poorly prepared, inadequately supervised, or uncontrolled hot work, often leading to catastrophic consequences.
For example, an insured company suffered damage caused during hot work carried out as part of the repair of a skylight on a roof. The fire specifically broke out while cutting the polycarbonate panels around the perimeter of one of the skylights, located above a storage area containing pallets of goods.
The fire was clearly linked to the presence of dust and debris trapped between the two polycarbonate panels, which ignited during the cutting process. This led to the full combustion of the skylight, which in turn triggered a fire involving the stored pallets beneath.
Over a 20-year period, the number of accidents, fatalities, and serious injuries recorded in the ARIA (BARPI) database due to work generating ignition sources has remained persistently high.
Analysis reveals that at every stage of such work, recommended safety measures are either poorly followed or entirely neglected. The most common failures include inadequate risk identification, lack of safety instructions, and insufficient oversight.
Hot Work
The term “hot work” refers to all operations such as grinding, cutting, oxy-fuel cutting, deburring, drilling, welding, brazing, bituminous sealing, etc., that produce sparks or heat.
These activities can ignite nearby materials through:
- Direct contact
- Thermal conduction
- Movement of fluids
- Projections of incandescent or molten particles
- Flaming droplets
Such operations can also trigger explosions if conducted in an Explosive Atmosphere or in the presence of combustible dust, such as: undrained pipes, insufficient degassing of confined spaces, or the proximity of solvents and combustible dusts.
Searching for Alternatives
Before carrying out hot work, it is essential to verify whether a less hazardous alternative exists. For example, bolting, filing, using hydraulic shears, reciprocating saws, or threaded fittings may be suitable substitutes.
If the disassembly of the components requiring intervention is possible, it is preferable to carry out the hot work outside the premises or in specially designed workstations.
For tasks near potentially Explosive Atmospheres, ensure appropriate measures are in place to temporarily downgrade these areas during the work phase.
If no alternative to hot work can be found, a hot work permit is mandatory to carry out these operations, whether internally by the company itself or through an external contractor.
What is the Purpose of a Hot Work Permit?
- To identify and analyse fire risks in a temporary construction environment,
- To define the appropriate firefighting measures for potential fire scenarios,
- To outline the safety measures to be implemented,
- To explain and enforce all safety measures,
- To make decisions in case of any dangerous developments during the work,
- To organise post-work surveillance once the job is completed.
Implementation and Validity of the Hot Work Permit
The hot work permit must be established in collaboration with the competent individuals:
- Business owner or their legal representative
- Intervention manager
- Operator
- Technical manager
- Safety officer, etc.
It must take into account the operating procedures of the external contractor or internal team, and be formalised and explained to all parties involved.
The preparation phase is crucial, and the defined measures must be put in place before the work begins.
Except in emergencies, it is recommended to schedule hot work at the start of the day to ensure optimal human presence on site.
The presence of the designated responsible individuals is essential throughout the execution of the work, and also during the surveillance phase after the work is completed.
The validity of the hot work permit must be clearly stated and time-limited. Ideally, it should not exceed 12 hours. If it spans multiple days, it should be reassessed daily, or whenever there is a change of shift.
It is strongly recommended to archive this document for a duration similar to the prevention plan (5 years).
Good to Know
Hot Work Permit Form – Several forms and brochures are available online (free or paid):
- On the INRS website
- On the CNPP website
Post-Work Surveillance
It is crucial to monitor all surfaces and areas that may have been affected by incandescent projections and heat transfer for at least 2 hours after the work is completed. The designated person must log the rounds in the Hot Work Permit form. If it is not possible to maintain surveillance after a certain time, the work should be stopped at least 2 hours before the company’s closing time.
Roof Work
Special attention should be paid to the supervision of roofing work, as many incidents occur each year as a result.
For such work, there are synthetic sealing coatings and resins that do not require the use of a blowtorch. If heating is necessary, for example, to repair cracks on a bituminous surface, it is possible to mandate the use of a hot air blower as an alternative to the blowtorch.