Fire Watch time

[abarnett]

Hi folks,

Having had a roofing company set my house on fire and offering me compensation of £50 I am looking at their processes with a fine tooth comb.

Am looking for an indication of what you would deem to be a suitable fire watch time after the conclusion of hot works where part of the potentially affected area cannot be seen. (scenario in question is felting a flat roof under a tiled portion of an external wall - workers unable to see under tiles which is where the fire started). The workers left site after about an hour or so for their lunch and as they went to reconvene noticed the fire.

I'm of the opinion that a) their fire watch period was too short for a location where they can't see the areas at risk of fire and b) that one of the two workers should have remained on site rather than both of them leaving.

Would appreciate your thoughts

Andy

[Elf&Safety]

Ask to see their risk assessment, ask to see their hot work permit. Can you prove their works caused the fire? What felt standard is used (see below)

http://www.practicalroofing.uk/flat-roofing/felt-roofs/ - Honestly, i'd give other roofers or professional bodies a call to see standard practice, usually an hour for me isn't too bad; but i don't deal with construction of roofing everyday so my knowledge isn't great. For me would be dependant on the materials used.

[fs1982]

I work for a welding company so different circumstances but it is a condition of our liability insurance that fire watch is maintained for a minimum period of 60 minutes after the completion of hot works activities. I'd recommend asking for their insurance details and specifically the wording of their insurance relating to application of heat.

Here is an extract showing what our insurance insists upon:

It is a condition precedent to any liability of the Insurer that the following precautions are complied with in
respect of any work involving the use or application of heat involving a naked flame open heat source angle
grinder hot air stripper or the heating of bitumen or similar bituminous compounds anywhere other than at the
Insured’s Premises
a) the area in the immediate vicinity of the application of heat must be cleared of any loose combustible
materials before work commences
b) other combustible materials including floors and walls must be covered by overlapping sheets of noncombustible
material
c) blow lamps and torches must be filled in the open and only kept lit for the time they are in use
d) any sources of heat used must be continuously attended
e) at least one suitable fire extinguisher must be kept in the area where the heat is being applied
f) a thorough inspection for any signs of combustion within adjacent to behind and below the area being
worked on must be undertaken after each separate application of heat and also 60 minutes after the
completion of the period of work