Painters and decorators toolbox talk pack

This talk is about lead in the paint, the flashings and the old pipework on this job. HSE's construction page on lead says lead is used as a specialist material, for example roof flashings, and it is present in older buildings, for example in paint or pipework. Breathing or ingesting lead dust or fume is the harm. HSE's page says lead can cause serious health problems such as anaemia or kidney disease, and that published research has linked exposure to a small number of occupational cancers. The busy-builder sheet CIS79 says breathing or ingesting lead dust or fume can cause serious problems such as kidney, nerve and brain damage, or infertility. I am using those words. I have not added a count of my own. I read the construction lead page, CIS79 and HSE's lead FAQ on 20 October 2026.

The Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 say employers must protect employees against the risks from lead. HSE's model is assess, control, then review. The assessment has to find the tasks that use lead or create lead dust or fume, and pay attention where significant exposure is expected. HSE's list includes stripping or preparing leaded paint on doors, windows and similar; working with lead on roofs; hot cutting of lead or leaded paint in demolition and dismantling; and blast removal of old leaded paint. Lead pigments were widely used in paints for homes, schools and offices until the 1960s. They were not removed from all commonly used paint until the early 1980s. Lead paint can sit underneath the paint you can see, in an older building. CIS79 says you are most at risk if you regularly remove existing paint in properties built before the 1980s, strip old paint with blow lamps or gas torches, or dry sand old paint.

The first control is to stop making the dust and the fume. Where you can, use a different material, or a different method. HSE says leave paint in place when it is in good condition, or when it is covered by paint that does not contain lead. Make a key for the new coat with wet abrasive paper. Only strip old paint if it is flaking, chipping, giving off dust or particles, or it is a risk to children. CIS79 says the same plan in a shorter line: only strip back old paint if it is flaking, chipping, or a risk to children. If the paint is in good condition, wet abrasive paper is the key, not a dry sanding disc. Cold or mechanical cutting comes before hot cutting. Do not overheat leaded paint with a blow lamp or a gas torch. HSE says keep hot air guns and infrared equipment below 500 degrees Celsius. That figure is HSE's. It is not a target to work up to.

If the paint is in poor condition and it has to come off, HSE's methods are a chemical paint stripper, wet abrasive paper and a scraper, on-tool extraction with an H or M class unit, and an infrared tool or a hot air gun used with a scraper, kept below that 500 degree line. CIS79 says use a combination of chemical paint stripper, wet abrasive paper and on-tool extraction, and it says passive capture bags on tools are less effective. A general vacuum is not the unit this page is describing. The silica talk on this site is the one for bricks, concrete and plaster dust. This talk is lead. The extraction class HSE names here is still H or M.

Respiratory protection is often still required. HSE says wear RPE with an assigned protection factor of 20, for example an FFP3 disposable mask or a half mask with a P3 filter. For longer work, consider powered RPE with the same protection, for example a TH2 powered hood or helmet. It has to be compatible with the other kit. Tight-fitting masks need a face-fit test. Stop the dust spreading. HSE says use plastic sheeting to separate the work and cover surfaces, remove or protect soft furnishings, wash the surfaces, and dispose of contaminated waste safely. Pay particular attention to keeping children and pregnant women away from the work area. CIS79 says put debris, cloths and abrasive paper in a plastic bag, and remove debris with a damp cloth. Wear disposable coveralls, and washable gloves such as PVC, or disposable gloves, if lead dust is likely to contaminate them. Take them off when you leave the work area. Do not wear them in the rest area. Keep them away from the clothes you wear home. Avoid washing contaminated clothing at home.

Washing is a control, not a courtesy. HSE says standard site welfare is enough in many cases, and that people should wash hands and forearms before eating, drinking, smoking, using the telephone, or taking medication. Avoid hand-to-mouth contact in the contaminated area. Take breaks away from the work. CIS79 says the small sink is not suitable: provide a large sink, hot or warm running water, and soap. People need to know the coating can contain lead, and how to use the controls. If we do not know whether the old paint contains lead, we treat the stripping, the burning and the dry sanding as this talk until we do know. A photo is not an analysis.

What we do on this job: is the paint staying because it is sound; if it is coming off, are we using wet paper, stripper or H or M class extraction rather than a dry disc or a flame; is the hot air kit below 500 degrees Celsius; who is kept out, including children and anyone who is pregnant; where the waste bag goes; and where people wash their hands and forearms before they eat. If the plan is to burn it off because that is quick, we do not start.

This talk is about hazardous substances on this job. COSHH is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. HSE says COSHH covers chemicals, products containing chemicals, fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, gases and asphyxiating gases, and biological agents. If the packaging has a hazard symbol, it is classed as a hazardous substance. Germs that cause diseases such as leptospirosis are in scope too. COSHH does not cover lead, asbestos or radioactive substances, because those have their own regulations. Asbestos is the other talk. Silica dust is still a hazardous substance, and it has its own talk because the controls are specific. Do not let this briefing replace that one.

A COSHH assessment is not only about tins with a symbol. HSE's assessment page says health hazards are not limited to substances labelled as hazardous. The work can produce them. The examples on that page are wood dust from sanding, silica dust from tile cutting, and fumes from welding. If we are cutting, grinding, heating or spraying, we ask what the process is putting into the air, not only what the tub says.

If you are self-employed, HSE's answer is yes, COSHH applies. If you have employees and you control their work, every part applies. If you have no employees, but you take hazardous substances onto other people's premises, all parts apply except those about monitoring and health surveillance. Working alone in a customer's house does not switch the rules off.

Before the assessment, HSE says ask what you do that involves hazardous substances, how they can cause harm, and how you can reduce that harm. Always try to prevent exposure at source. Can you avoid the substance, or use a safer process, such as a water-based product instead of a solvent-based one, or a brush instead of a spray? Can you substitute something milder, or use a vacuum rather than a brush? Can you use a safer form, such as a solid instead of a liquid, to avoid splashes, or a waxy solid instead of a dry powder, to avoid dust? If you cannot prevent exposure, you control it. Control is adequate when the risk of harm is as low as is reasonably practicable. That means the control measures are in good working order, exposures are below the workplace exposure limit where one exists, and exposure to substances that cause cancer, asthma or genetic damage is reduced as low as possible.

The assessment itself is a set of questions, not a form for its own sake. Read the label and the safety data sheet. If in doubt, ask the supplier. Decide who might be harmed and how: breathed in, on the skin, through the skin, or swallowed. Think about how often and for how long, and about maintenance workers, other contractors, visitors and members of the public. Write down what you already do and what else is needed, who will do it, and by when. Substances that have a workplace exposure limit are hazardous to health. The limit is a mark the controls have to meet. It is not a target to work up to.

HSE's order for controls starts with elimination: do you need this substance at all? Then change the process, for example a lower temperature so less vapour is given off, or pellets instead of a dusty powder. Then containment: enclose the work, use closed transfer, and use local exhaust ventilation that is examined and tested every 14 months by someone competent. Restrict access to the people who need to be there. Store materials in the right containers, labelled, with incompatible materials separated. HSE's example is acids and caustics. Plan the waste. Cleaning is part of the exposure, so use a dust-free method: vacuum, do not sweep. Have a way to clear a spill quickly. Personal protective equipment is for when the other controls cannot adequately control exposure, and it is used with those controls, not instead of them. HSE says do not automatically opt for PPE. It is not as reliable or effective as the other measures.

People have to be told the outcome. What the hazard is, any workplace exposure limit, what they must do, the results of any monitoring, and the collective results of health surveillance. They need to know what to do in a spill or an emergency. If a contractor is bringing a substance onto the job, we need to know what it is and how they will stop it harming other people. If you have five or more employees, you must record the assessment. If you have fewer, HSE says it still makes sense to write down the steps you took. Review it when the staff, the process, the substance or the equipment changes, and if people report a problem or there is an accident or a near miss.

On this job today, the question is simple. What are we about to open, heat, cut or spray? Have we read the label? Is the control the one in the assessment, or a mask we hoped would cover it? Who else is in the room, including the customer? If the label is missing, we do not guess. We stop and find out.

This talk is about dust from cutting, drilling, grinding, or polishing materials that contain silica. Bricks, tiles, concrete, and mortar contain it. Sandstone contains more than 70 percent silica. Granite might contain 15 to 30 percent. Those figures are HSE's. The fine dust is respirable crystalline silica, RCS. It is too fine to see in normal lighting. If the air looks clear, that is not proof it is safe.

HSE says silica is the biggest risk to construction workers after asbestos. Heavy and prolonged exposure to RCS can cause lung cancer and other serious lung diseases. Silicosis can cause severe breathing problems and increases the risk of lung infections. It usually follows exposure over many years, but extremely high exposures can cause acute silicosis more quickly. HSE also links silica to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including bronchitis and emphysema. HSE commissioned estimates that silica dust was responsible for the death of over 500 construction workers in 2005. That figure is for 2005. It is not a count I have updated, and it is not a reason to treat today's cut as harmless.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, COSHH, say you must protect against the risks from hazardous construction dust. HSE's leaflet for employees, INDG463, says control measures for RCS must be effective in keeping exposure below the workplace exposure limit of 0.1 milligrams per cubic metre of respirable dust, averaged over 8 hours. That is a limit for the controls to meet. It is not a target to work up to, and it is not something you can judge by eye.

Stop the dust getting into the air. HSE's construction dust sheet, CIS36, gives two main ways. Water damps the cloud down, but only if enough water is supplied at the right levels for the whole time the work is being done. Just wetting the material beforehand does not work. On-tool extraction removes dust as it is produced. It is local exhaust ventilation fitted to the tool: the tool, a capturing hood, an extraction unit, and tubing. Use an extraction unit to the correct specification. Do not just use a general commercial vacuum.

For silica, choose an H class or M class extraction unit. HSE's sheet on on-tool extraction, CIS69, says those units provide effective and reliable extraction and are fitted with low-flow indicators. Do not put a HEPA filter in a general commercial vacuum and call it done. An L class unit is only suitable for lower-toxicity dusts such as gypsum in plasterboard. It is not the unit for silica. The hood has to sit as close as possible to the work. Dust escapes through any gap. Empty the unit into the correct disposable waste bags, seal them, and put them in the right waste container. Do not empty the bags to recycle them. If you hire the unit, check with the hire company what examination they have done.

Water or extraction may not be enough. Often RPE has to be provided as well. HSE says the general level for construction dust is an assigned protection factor, APF, of 20. That means the wearer breathes one twentieth of the dust in the air. Common types at APF 20 are an FFP3 disposable mask, or a half mask with a P3 filter. For longer work, powered RPE such as a TH2 powered hood. CIS36 says consider powered RPE when people are working for more than an hour without a break, because disposable masks and half masks get uncomfortable. RPE is the last line of protection. If you are relying on RPE alone, HSE says you need to be able to justify why. Tight-fitting masks need a face-fit test, and the wearer needs to be clean shaven. The mask has to be the one that fits that person, not the one left on the dashboard.

For regular removal of dust and debris, CIS36 says damp it, or use vacuum attachments on an H or M class unit, and RPE with an APF of 20 depending on the location, the duration, and the dust. A brush, shovel, and bucket, after damping down, is described for minor one-off amounts, not as the everyday clean. Keep other people out of the dusty area. If the work still looks dusty, the control is not doing its job. Stop and tell the person in charge. Do not carry on and hope the mask will cover it.

On-tool extraction needs a thorough examination and test at least every 14 months, by someone with the right knowledge, and a record that it was done. CIS69 also says formal maintenance checks at least once a week, and more often if the kit is getting damaged. A blocked filter is not a small annoyance. It is the control switched off.

This is a short talk about working at height on this site, today. Listen for the job in front of us, not for a generic roof.

HSE's meaning is plain. You are working at height if, without precautions, you could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. That includes work above the ground or the floor. It includes a fall from an edge, through an opening, or through a fragile surface. It also includes a fall from ground level into an opening in a floor, or a hole in the ground. A slip or a trip on the same level is not work at height. Walking up and down a permanent staircase in a building is not work at height either. Those are still hazards. They are a different talk.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. HSE says the duties sit with employers, and with anyone who controls work at height, such as a contractor. The work has to be properly planned and organised. The people doing it have to be competent, or supervised by someone who is. The risks have to be assessed, and the equipment has to match the job. Risks from fragile surfaces have to be managed. Equipment used for work at height has to be inspected and maintained.

HSE's order is the order we use. First, can we avoid the work at height? Do as much as we can from the ground. An extendable tool, or putting the work together before it goes up, is better than climbing. If we cannot avoid it, we prevent the fall. Collective protection comes before a harness: an existing safe place with a permanent guard rail, a scaffold, a tower, or a MEWP. A work-restraint system that stops you reaching the edge is personal protection, and it comes after those collective measures. If a fall can still happen, we shorten the distance and the consequences: nets or soft-landing systems close to the work, or a fall-arrest system with a high anchor. For each step, HSE says consider what is reasonably practicable, and use collective protection before personal protection.

Plan how we would get someone down before anyone goes up. HSE says do not rely only on the emergency services for the rescue in that plan.

Ladders and stepladders are not banned. HSE says they can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks, and they should not automatically be the first choice. The regulations allow a ladder when a risk assessment has shown that equipment offering a higher level of fall protection is not justified, because of the low risk and short duration, or because there are existing workplace features which cannot be altered. Short duration is not the deciding factor on its own. Look at the risk first. As a guide, if the task would mean staying on a leaning ladder or a stepladder for more than 30 minutes at a time, HSE recommends you consider alternative equipment. Use a ladder only where it can be used safely: level and stable, and secured where it is reasonably practicable. Use the right type. The person on it needs to know how to use it. Do not overload it, and do not overreach.

On construction work, HSE says handrails have a minimum height of 950 millimetres, and any gap between the top rail and an intermediate rail should not exceed 470 millimetres. Toe boards have to be suitable and sufficient. HSE gives a toe board of a minimum 100 millimetres as an example that would be acceptable.

Roof work is high risk. HSE says falls from roofs, through fragile roofs, and through fragile roof lights are one of the most common causes of workplace death and serious injury. Treat these as likely to be fragile unless you know they are not: roof lights, liner panels on built-up sheeted roofs, non-reinforced fibre cement sheets, corroded metal sheets, glass including wired glass, rotted chipboard, and slates and tiles.

Before anyone goes up today, check the place. HSE says each place where people will work at height needs to be checked every time, before use. Weather that could compromise safety is a reason to stop. Stop materials or objects falling, or keep people out of the area if you cannot stop the fall. If the access is not what the method for this job says, we stop and change the method. We do not change it by climbing anyway.

This talk is about portable leaning ladders and stepladders, on this job, today. The working-at-height talk is the one about whether we should be climbing at all. HSE's ladder overview says ladders and stepladders are not banned. The law calls for a sensible, proportionate approach. A ladder can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks. It should not automatically be the first choice. Use the right type, and know how to use it. If the task needs a scaffold, a tower or a MEWP, this talk is not permission to use the ladder because it is already on the roof rack.

Before anyone climbs, they need the manufacturer's instructions to hand, and they do a pre-use check. HSE says the person using the ladder does that check, at the beginning of the working day, and again after something has changed. A ladder that has been dropped, or moved from dirty ground to a clean floor, gets checked again. Look at the stiles. If they are bent or damaged, the ladder could buckle or collapse. Look at the feet. Missing, worn or damaged feet can slip. When you move from soft or dirty ground, such as dug soil, loose stone or a dirty workshop, onto paving, check that the feet themselves are touching the ground, not a lump of soil or a stone stuck in the foot. Look at the rungs. Bent, worn, missing or loose rungs can fail. Look at the locking mechanism. If it does not work, or parts are bent or worn, the ladder could collapse. Locking bars have to be fully engaged. On a stepladder, a split or buckled platform can make it unstable, and contaminated or loose steps can slip or collapse. If you find any of that, do not use the ladder. Tell the person in charge.

A pre-use check is not the same as the employer's inspection. HSE says pre-use checks do not need to be recorded. Problems get reported. The employer also needs a detailed visual inspection, regularly, by a competent person, in line with the manufacturer's instructions, and that one is recorded. Ladders that are part of a scaffold are still inspected every seven days as part of the scaffold inspection. Only use a ladder with no visible defects, an up-to-date inspection record, that is strong enough for the job, and that has been maintained and stored as the manufacturer says. The inspection looks for damaged feet, twisted or dented stiles, cracked or loose rungs, missing tie rods, and cracked welds, loose rivets or damaged stays.

Where it stands matters as much as the ladder. HSE's list: firm ground, level ground, using the manufacturer's levelling device rather than bricks, blocks or bits of timber, and a clean solid surface with no oil, moss, leaves, sand or packaging. A shiny floor can be slippery even when it looks clean. Keep it where vehicles will not strike it. Use barriers or cones. Secure doors and windows that could push it, and do not block a fire exit to do that. Stop the public using it, walking under it, or standing too close. Barriers or cones first. A person standing guard at the bottom is the last resort. The ladder has to be secured.

On a leaning ladder, carry only light materials and tools. Read the label and assess the load, including your own weight. Do not overreach. HSE's test is that your belt buckle, or your navel, stays within the stiles. The ladder has to be long enough. Do not work off the top three rungs, and try to have the ladder extend at least 1 metre, or three rungs, above where you are working. Use the 1-in-4 rule so the angle is about 75 degrees: one unit out for every four units up. Grip the ladder and face the rungs when you climb or come down. Do not slide down the stiles. Do not move or extend it while you are standing on the rungs. Do not stand it on a pallet, bricks, a lift truck, a tower, an excavator bucket, a van or a MEWP. Do not hold items as you climb if you can use a tool belt. Maintain three points of contact when climbing and, wherever possible, at the work position. If you cannot keep a handhold, other than for a brief moment such as starting a nail, you need another way to prevent a fall or to reduce the consequences. Tie the ladder so it cannot slip out or sideways, and rest it on something solid, not glazing or a plastic gutter. A stability device is worth considering if it is the right one and it is used as the maker says.

Do not work within 6 metres horizontally of any overhead power line, unless the line has been made dead or protected with insulation. For any electrical work, use a non-conductive ladder, such as fibreglass or timber. The electrical safety talk covers the rest of live services. A ladder is one of the long items HSE names as a risk near overhead lines.

A stepladder has its own rules. All four feet on the ground, steps level, locking devices engaged. Do not stand and work on the top three steps, including a step that forms the very top, unless there is a suitable handhold. Face the work where you can. A risk assessment can show that side-on is safer in a tight space, but that is the exception, and the locks still have to be fully engaged. Avoid side loading, such as drilling side-on through brick or concrete. If you cannot avoid it, tie the steps so they cannot tip, or use better access. Three points of contact at the working position means two feet and one hand, or, when both hands are needed for a brief period, two feet and your body supported by the stepladder.

Telescopic ladders are leaning ladders that do not all work the same way. Use, store and transport them with care, and keep them clean, as well as following the rest of this guidance. If the check fails, the ladder stays on the ground. We do not climb it to prove it is fine.

This is an awareness talk. It is not training to work on asbestos. HSE says asbestos awareness training does not allow you to work on asbestos. If you have not had the training for the work, you do not start.

HSE says asbestos is the greatest cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain. Around 5,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases. Those diseases typically take decades to develop, and they cannot be cured. The fibres are too small to see, smell, or feel, in the air or on your clothes. You will not know they are there.

Asbestos was used in many buildings until it was banned in 1999. Buildings constructed after 2000 are unlikely to contain it. A lot of it is still in place. People who work on the structure of older buildings can still be exposed if it is damaged or disturbed. HSE names drilling into a wall, refurbishment, demolition, and installation work. You are more likely to meet it if the building was built or refurbished before 2000, if nobody inspected the area, or if the information was not passed on.

Left alone and in good condition, HSE says the risk is low. Once it is disturbed, fibres can be released and breathed in. That can cause lung disease and cancer, which could prove fatal. Do not sand it, break it, drill it, or sweep dust you cannot account for, to 'see what it is'. You cannot identify it as safe by looking at it.

If you come across any material you think may contain asbestos, HSE's instruction to workers is: stop work, and speak to your employer, or the building owner, to find out if asbestos is in the building. Your employer should ask to see the asbestos register or survey, and check there is enough information to do the work. If you are breaking into the fabric, a refurbishment survey may be required. Do not do any work until that has been completed. Even if a survey exists, it might not have found every location. Assume it can still be hidden.

If asbestos is disturbed, stop work immediately. HSE says it must be dealt with quickly, and points workers to the guidance on what to do if you discover or accidentally disturb asbestos, the sheet EM1. Follow that. Do not try to tidy it, bag it, or carry on with a dust mask from the van because you want to finish the room.

Some work has to be done by a licensed asbestos contractor. HSE's worker page says: if in doubt, assume the work is licensed and stop until you are told otherwise.

If you are self-employed, HSE's worker page says you are responsible. The introduction to the same guidance says a self-employed person has the same responsibilities under the law as an employer and a worker. That does not mean you assess the material yourself and carry on. It means the duty to stop, and to get the right information and the right people, sits with you.

On a domestic job, contractors still have to protect people from the risks of their work, including asbestos-containing materials. The homeowner being in the house is not a reason to take a chance on a cupboard, a soffit, a floor tile, or a heating flue. Ask what the building is, and what year the part you are opening was built or refurbished. If nobody knows, stop and find out before you open it.

What you do today, if you are unsure: stop, tell the person in charge of this site, and do not let anyone else start the same hole. Show them the HSE pages linked under this talk if they want the source. Do not photograph it and ask a chat tool whether it is asbestos. A photo is not a survey.

This talk is about fire on this site, and about hot work: anything that makes heat, sparks or flame. HSE's construction fire FAQ says a fire needs three things: a source of ignition, a source of fuel, and oxygen. Ignition on a site includes heaters, lighting, naked flames, electrical equipment, hot processes such as welding or grinding, smokers' materials, and anything else that can get very hot or cause sparks. Fuel includes petrol, paint, varnish, white spirit, wood, paper, plastic, rubber or foam, LPG, acetylene, loose packaging, waste and furniture. If any one of those is in the way of the other, we deal with it before we start.

Duties are split, and both matter. Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, HSE says clients, designers, principal designers, and contractors, including principal contractors and construction workers, have duties to eliminate and control fire risks. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, and the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, put duties on a responsible person or a dutyholder. That is usually the employer, the owner or the occupier. They assess the risk and put measures in place, such as escape routes and warning systems. HSE's process-fire page says the Fire Safety Order sets the law on general fire safety on a construction site, including means of escape, and that CDM 2015 also requires the risk from fire to be prevented. Timber-frame building needs more than the ordinary precautions. HSE points that work to HSG168 and to timber-frame guidance. This talk is not that extra set.

The aim is that people can get out, quickly, to a place of safety. What you need depends on the risk. A timber-frame or multi-storey site needs more. HSE's list of measures is emergency plans, raising the alarm, limiting spread by compartmentation, escape routes and fire exits, and firefighting. On a small low-risk site the alarm may be raised by shouting. On a high-risk or larger site you need a fixed, interconnected system of call points and sounders. The signal has to be distinctive and heard above the site noise. Everyone here needs to know what the alarm sounds like, how to raise it, which route is clear, and where to assemble. Escape routes are kept clear. Rubbish in a corridor is a fire problem and an escape problem.

HSE says each year there are serious fires on construction sites and in buildings being refurbished, and that many could be avoided by planning and control. Refurbishment is a particular risk when there is a lot of dry timber, and later in a job when adhesives, insulation and soft furnishings are present. Keep the amount of combustible material in the work area down until it is needed. Store it outside where you can, especially LPG and other volatile materials. If it has to be inside, plan the place so it does not put people at risk. Specify less combustible materials where that is possible, and remember that working on a material can make it easier to ignite, for example when a solid becomes dust. Protective coverings and scaffold sheeting can add to the risk. Flame-retardant materials reduce that. Bonfires should not normally be allowed. Have another way to get rid of waste. Secure the site against arson, especially at night and at weekends. High fire-loading sites, or sites with a history of vandalism, may need extra lighting, out-of-hours security or CCTV. Nobody sleeps in a building under construction or refurbishment. HSE is clear on that.

Hot work is the part people rush. HSE's process-fire page says all hot work that generates heat, sparks or flame can cause a fire. The precautions on that page are: clear the area of combustible materials, have suitable fire extinguishers, and keep a careful watch throughout the work. A permit to work can help manage the risk on larger projects. HSG168, HSE's fire safety in construction book, defines hot work as any process that generates flame, sparks or heat, including oxy-fuel cutting and welding, grinding and cutting metal, torch-applied roofing, heat guns and soldering irons. It says hot works should be designed out where practicable and replaced with cold methods, and that where combustible material is present you use alternatives. The book then sets the precautions I want read out, because the short page does not give the times.

Before the work, look at the area, especially on a refurbishment where you may not know what is in the fabric. Remove loose combustible materials in and around the work, inside any gap in a wall, floor or ceiling where heat or sparks could go, in the area underneath, and on the other side of a wall if you are only working one side. Protect what you cannot remove, and any openings, with non-combustible board. Have at least two suitable fire extinguishers within reach of the hot work and of any fire-watch position. Keep a watch while the work is going on, and during breaks, including spaces you cannot see if the heat can pass through. HSG168 says there should be a continuous fire watch for at least an hour after the hot work ends, then at least one more check two hours after it ends. Some materials can smoulder for a long time before they ignite. All hot works should be finished two hours before the end of the working day, so those checks can be done. Closing a permit includes a visual inspection of the area. If the site has security staff, they should be told to keep checking former hot-work areas.

Extinguishers are not a reason to fight a fire you are not trained for. HSE says the number and type depend on the hazard, and that the primary purpose is to aid escape. In some limited circumstances a trained person may tackle a fire in the early stages. The FAQ matches types to fires: water for wood, paper, textile and solid material; powder for liquid and electrical fires; foam for liquid fires; carbon dioxide for liquid and electrical fires. They sit at identifiable fire points on each storey exit, and they are serviced. Hot work needs its own extinguishers as well. Know which one is for this fuel before you need it.

What we do on this job: what can burn within reach of the spark, who is watching, including the other side of the wall and the floor below, where the extinguishers are, how we raise the alarm, and who is still here for the hour after we stop, and for the check two hours after. If we cannot finish in time to do those checks before the site empties, we do not start the hot work.