Construction site fire safety

Protecting a site from the dangers of fire is the responsibility of numerous individuals throughout the life cycle of a project and must be properly planned and executed from beginning until handover.

Loss of life due to fire is relatively rare on UK construction sites, but this should not be taken for granted. The damage that fire can cause to people and property is devastating.

Buildings in the process of construction or renovation are particularly at risk because permanent sprinklers, smoke alarms and other features may not yet be installed or may at times be disabled to allow works to be completed, thereby increasing the risk of significant damage in the event of a fire.

This section is maintained by David Brown of Flamma Fire Protection Services.

Document template: Fire action notice sample

Document template: Fire emergency plan sample

RICS journal article: How to detect fires during construction