OSHA Construction · Part 3: Personal Protective Equipment and Fire Protection
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3.2 Fire Protection for Construction
Fire is a hazard at every stage of construction, because there are fuels, ignition sources and temporary arrangements. Careful planning can save lives and property.
Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Approved | Listed or approved by a nationally recognised testing laboratory or federal agency. |
| Combustion | Burning: a chemical change that gives off heat and light. |
| Flash point | The lowest temperature at which a liquid's vapours can catch fire. |
| Flammable liquid | In the construction standard, a liquid with a flash point below 140 degrees F and a vapour pressure not above 40 pounds per square inch absolute at 100 degrees F. |
| Combustible liquid | A liquid with a flash point between 140 and 200 degrees F. |
| LPG | Liquefied petroleum gas: propane, propylene, butane and butylenes, or mixtures. |
| Portable tank | A closed container for more than 60 US gallons that is not meant for fixed installation. |
| Safety can | An approved closed container of not more than five gallons, with a flash arresting screen, a spring closing lid and spout cover, which relieves pressure safely if exposed to fire. |
| Closed container | One sealed so that neither liquid nor vapour escapes at ordinary temperatures. |
Classes of fire
| Class | Fuel | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A | Ordinary combustibles | Wood, paper, rags, rubbish and other solids |
| B | Flammable and combustible liquids | Petrol, fuel oil, paint thinner, hydraulic fluid, solvents |
| C | Energised electrical equipment | Outlets, circuit breakers, defective wiring, overloaded circuits |
| D | Combustible metals | Magnesium, aluminium powder, alkali metals |
An extinguisher must carry the marking of its class and be used only on that class of fire. Place extinguishers in easily reached spots on the normal path of travel, in good working order. On a construction project, extinguishers must be at all points of exit and close to stored combustible or flammable materials.
Detection and alarm
- The first step in a building fire is to warn the occupants and to evacuate at once. Smoke alarms in strategic places give early warning. The two main kinds are ionisation and photoelectric alarms.
- Fire sprinklers give 24 hour protection, detecting and putting out fires before they threaten life or property.
- The employer must provide an alarm system, telephone, siren or similar means so that site workers and the local fire department can be alerted. The alarm code and reporting instructions are posted at or near telephones and employee entrances.
Why people die
Smoke inhalation causes 50 to 80 percent of fire deaths. Flames and burns come second.
The fire protection plan
- The employer develops a fire protection plan that can be carried out and enforced across the workforce.
- The employer provides all firefighting equipment and makes sure that it is always immediately accessible, easy to see and in good working order. Defective equipment is replaced at once.
- The employer should ask a professional fire protection organisation for help when needed.
- Fire walls and exit stairways that a completed building must have are given priority in construction.
- Fire cutoffs are kept in buildings that are being altered or demolished until the work requires their removal.
Page 2 of 2 in this chapter · page 10 of 29 in the book
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