Hot work involves activities such as welding, cutting, grinding, soldering, or any process that produces sparks, open flames, or intense heat. These tasks are essential in construction, manufacturing, and industrial settings, but they also pose significant fire risks. Without proper controls such as a formalized Hot Work Permit Program, hot work can lead to fires, explosions, and toxic exposures – jeopardizing lives, property, and operations, and causing significant business interruption and reputational damage.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 15% of all fires in commercial and industrial properties are caused by hot work, according to Zurich Insurance.
- In the U.S., hot work leads to an annual average of 22 civilian deaths, 171 injuries, and $484 million in property damage.
- Over a recent five-year period, hot work sparked nearly 3,400 structure fires annually
So, how can organizations carry out these essential tasks while ensuring workplace safety?
This article explores the risks associated with hot work, shares real-world incidents, outlines essential safety steps, and highlights the importance of training and hot work permits in creating safer workplaces.
Understanding the Risks of Hot Work
The hazards of hot work stem from the heat and sparks generated during these activities, which can easily ignite flammable materials or vapors. Without proper safeguards, the consequences can be catastrophic.
Key Hot Work Hazards:
- Flammable Materials: Sparks or heat can ignite combustible materials, such as wood, paper, or dust.
- Explosive Atmospheres: Vapors from flammable liquids or gases can create explosive conditions when combined with heat or sparks.
- Improper Ventilation: Fumes and vapors may accumulate in confined spaces, increasing fire and explosion risks.
- Lack of Permits and Oversight: Unauthorized hot work often bypasses essential safety checks.
Where and How Do Hot Work Fires Occur?
Hot work fires within company premises frequently occur in areas where combustible materials are present, or safety protocols are not followed. According to research from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), between 2017 and 2021, ‘non-home’ hot work fires – defined as commercial properties and some residential properties such as hotels and motels, boarding and care facilities, or dormitory-type properties – averaged 1,548 annually. These incidents resulted in four civilian deaths, 41 injuries, and $188 million in property damage each year.
The majority of these fires started in locations like exterior roofs, garages, and maintenance shops – spaces often associated with flammable materials or limited supervision. Welding torches accounted for over half of all such incidents, while cutting torches were linked to another quarter. Inadequate management of heat sources and proximity to combustibles were leading contributors to the severity of these fires.
A notable 75% of these fires took place in occupied and operational buildings, including storage facilities, offices, and manufacturing plants. This underscores the importance of strict adherence to comprehensive safety protocols to mitigate risks in active work environments.
Basic Safety Steps for Hot Work
Ensuring the safety of workers and facilities during hot work operations requires a combination of preparation, vigilance, and adherence to established protocols. These steps provide a foundation for mitigating the inherent risks of tasks involving sparks, flames, or intense heat:
Evaluate Alternatives
The best way to reduce risk is to eliminate it entirely – so you should only conduct hot works where a safer process is not an option. Before initiating hot work, consider whether the task can be completed using another method. For instance, mechanical fastening or cold cutting may eliminate the need for heat or sparks entirely.
Conduct a Thorough Risk Assessment
Visit the worksite to identify hazards such as:
- The presence of flammable materials or vapors.
- Insufficient ventilation in confined spaces.
- Nearby ignition sources or combustible materials. This assessment should form the basis of your safety plan, ensuring potential risks are addressed before work begins.
Sometimes an area simply cannot be made safe for hot work, so it must be prohibited. Some examples are as follows:
- Where processes involving flammable liquids, gases and dusts cannot be shut down and made safe
- Where lint conditions are severe beyond correction
- On partitions, walls, ceilings, or roofs with combustible coverings (e.g., expanded plastic insulation)
- On partitions of combustible sandwich-type construction
- On pipe or other metals that can conduct enough heat to ignite nearby combustibles
Establish and Enforce Safety Precautions
Implement controls to reduce the likelihood of fires or explosions:
- Use fire-resistant blankets, shields, or barriers to protect combustible materials, or relocate combustible materials to provide adequate space separation around the hot work area.
- Ensure adequate ventilation in the work area to disperse flammable vapors or gases.
- Inspect equipment for defects that may contribute to hazards during operation.
- Ensure available fire protection/sprinkler systems are in service/operable and a portable fire extinguisher is provided in the hot work area.
Restrict Access to the Work Area
Limit the presence of non-essential personnel during hot work operations. This minimizes the potential for accidents and ensures a clear evacuation route if needed.
Maintain a Fire Watch
Assign a trained fire watch to monitor the worksite during and after the operation. Ensure fire extinguishers, hoses, or other suppression equipment are readily available. A post-work fire watch should be maintained at least 60 minutes after completion of hot work operations to detect and address any smoldering embers or delayed ignition. Following the completion of the 60 minute fire watch time period, fire monitoring shall be provided within the hot work area for up to an additional 3 hours as determined by the trained individual designated by management to authorize hot work.
Require a Hot Work Permit
Issuing a hot work permit for all hot work activities and ensuring proper documentation is a critical part of ensuring all safety measures are addressed. Doing so formalizes accountability and compliance with established safety standards:
How the Hot Work Permit System Works
A hot work permit is a formal document that outlines the safety requirements and approvals needed before beginning any hot work activity. This system ensures accountability and provides a structured approach to risk management.
Why a Hot Work Permit Matters
- Prevention of Accidents: A hot work permit ensures that all hazards have been identified and mitigated before work begins.
- Accountability: Permits require sign-off from responsible parties, ensuring oversight and adherence to protocols.
- Compliance with Regulations: Many safety standards, including NFPA 51B, mandate the use of hot work permits.
What Does a Hot Work Permit Include?
- Job Description: Details (permit date and time, name of person conducting the hot work operation, etc.) of the task and specific location.
- Hazard Risk Assessment: Identification of flammable materials, vapors, and other fire risk hazards in the proposed hot work area.
- Safety Measures:
- Removal or shielding of combustible materials.
- Ventilation requirements.
- Complete fire watch details (personnel, responsibilities, fire watch and monitoring period, etc.).
- Sign-Off: Approval (signature) by a management-designated and trained authority, often a safety officer.
- Post-Work Inspection: Verification that the area is safe after hot work is completed.
CLICK HERE TO SEE AN EXAMPLE OF A HOT WORK PERMIT
The Consequences of Inadequate Hot Work Safety
Hot work activities, such as welding, cutting, and grinding, are vital to many industries, yet they remain among the most hazardous operations when safety protocols are overlooked. A series of incidents across North America reveals a pattern of preventable errors that underscore the importance of rigorous safety measures, proper training, and hot work permits.
In 2017, an explosion at the Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) plant in DeRidder, Louisiana, resulted in the deaths of three workers and injuries to seven others. The blast occurred when contractors were welding on a tank containing residual flammable vapors during a routine facility shutdown. The force of the explosion propelled the tank across the facility, causing widespread destruction. Investigations revealed that the absence of a comprehensive hazard assessment and proper precautions played a significant role in the incident. Years later, in 2024, survivors and families of the victims were awarded $141 million in damages, demonstrating the severe consequences of neglecting safety protocols.
This incident echoes a similar tragedy at DuPont’s Yerkes chemical plant in Buffalo, New York, in 2010. During routine maintenance, a welder’s torch ignited flammable vapors in a tank that had previously held polyvinyl fluoride, resulting in a fatal explosion. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) noted that this incident was one of several similar accidents involving hot work that could have been avoided with adequate safety measures. The findings highlighted the critical need to eliminate flammable atmospheres before starting hot work, emphasizing a preventable pattern across industries.
In Edmonton, Alberta, 2018, the lack of a hot work permit led to an explosion that killed two workers. Investigations revealed that safety protocols had not been followed, and no permit was issued before commencing the task. This oversight brought charges under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, underscoring the regulatory importance of documenting and managing hot work activities to prevent accidents. The absence of a permit not only placed lives at risk but also led to significant legal repercussions for the companies involved.
A more recent incident in 2024 at a Secure Energy Inc. facility in British Columbia further underscores the persistent risks associated with insufficient hot work protocols. Two workers were seriously injured when welding ignited flammable materials in a shaker tank. Investigators identified inadequate hazard assessments, poorly implemented hot work procedures, and insufficient training as key contributing factors. The company faced fines exceeding $42,000, reinforcing the necessity of proactive safety management.
The Role of Training in Reducing Hot Work Risks
While safety protocols and hot work permits are essential in reducing such incidents, they are only as effective as the people implementing them. Comprehensive training ensures workers and supervisors not only understand the risks but also have the skills to mitigate them effectively. In Finland, for example, hot work once accounted for up to 40% of all major fires in the country – since implementing mandatory hot work training in the late 1980s, this figure now stands at just 5%.
Training and exercising can both instil knowledge and skills through instructor led or online training, as well as exercise knowledge application through immersive training or videogame solutions. Incident and crisis exercising of site and corporate teams also plays a key role in ensuring management structures, operating practices, crisis communications and response protocols are tested.
The impact of training on reducing hot work incidents is clear when considering the following factors:
Risk Awareness and Hazard Recognition
Training equips workers with the knowledge to identify potential ignition sources, assess combustible materials, and recognize confined spaces that may trap flammable vapors. Workers trained to conduct thorough site assessments are far less likely to overlook critical hazards, such as understanding the potential for residual flammable vapors in equipment or tanks, potentially preventing catastrophic incidents.
Consistency in Safety Practices
Training ensures that safety protocols, such as issuing a hot work permit, conducting risk assessments, and conducting a fire watch and monitoring post hot work operation are followed uniformly across the organization. Well-trained teams are also more likely to respond appropriately during emergencies, reducing the severity of incidents and improving recovery times.
Competence with Tools and Equipment
Workers trained to inspect and operate welding torches, cutting tools, and other hot work equipment are less likely to experience malfunctions or accidents. Routine training on equipment inspection helps identify wear and tear, reducing the risk of sparks or heat escaping uncontrolled and ensure the hot work equipment is in good operating condition.
Fire Prevention Techniques
Training highlights the importance of assigning dedicated fire watch personnel who are skilled in detecting and responding to smouldering materials or delayed ignition. Workers have the importance of ensuring that correct PPE and fire-resistant materials in place drilled into them, reducing the risk of ignition, and learn how to use fire extinguishers effectively and understand evacuation protocols, ensuring a swift response to prevent escalation.
Compliance with Regulations
Training ensures adherence to NFPA 51B and other relevant regulations, minimizing liability and meeting insurer requirements. Organizations with a documented training program demonstrate due diligence, reducing the risk of fines or legal action following an incident.
Comprehensive training is the cornerstone of effective hot work safety, enabling workers to identify hazards, implement preventive measures, and respond effectively to emergencies. However, achieving these outcomes requires a well-structured program that goes beyond theoretical knowledge and provides hands-on, practical learning experiences.
Our Managing Hot Work Permitting and Safety Course bridges this gap by equipping teams with the tools and skills necessary to carry out hot work safely. Designed for professionals in high-risk industries, this course focuses on practical applications of safety protocols, from issuing hot work permits to conducting thorough risk assessments and ensuring compliance with NFPA standards.
The course can be delivered in person as part of a training program or via digital solutions such as e-learning, simulation-based tabletop exercise and video games.
Learn More
Hot work is essential in many industries but comes with significant risks that require careful management. The implementation of a robust hot work permit system, combined with thorough training and adherence to safety protocols, can dramatically reduce incidents and protect lives and assets. By taking proactive measures, organizations can foster safer workplaces and ensure operational continuity.
Take the next step toward hot work safety. Enroll in our Managing Hot Work Permitting and Safety Course today and empower your team to work confidently and securely. Ask for free access to our digital training and videogame solutions, or to see our ISO and BSI compliant digital crisis leadership exercise tabletop solutions.
