Hot works – how not to get burned

There’s always one, isn’t there? Whether it’s the car hogging the middle lane, the shopping trolley that’s impossible to steer or that annoying YouTube advert that won’t let you skip… some things in life are just that little bit more challenging.

Each year, RiskSTOP helps policyholders with 25,000+ risk requirements put in place by underwriters following risk management surveys. Customer satisfaction scores are consistently ‘excellent’ – but one risk requirement creates a lot more resistance than others.

Hot works are often unplanned and can include any type of work involving the use of gas or electric welding or cutting apparatus, blow lamps, blow torches, grinding wheels, cutting discs, or bitumen or tar boilers.

‘Hot works’ permits should be simple to implement but, on average, it takes more than two months to complete risk requirements related to this area. This is much longer than others we handle. In addition, compliance rates around hot works are only around 60%, compared with 89% overall. So, what is it about hot works permits that makes them that little bit more challenging?

Simple misunderstanding

The most common issue we hear raised by policyholders is: “We never do any hot works.” Our team takes great pains to explain that this is often carried out by contractors, such as plumbers or builders, whenever routine maintenance or refurbishment work is needed. It is important that a ‘permit to work’ process is in place whenever this happens.

Hot works are often unplanned and can include any type of work involving the use of gas or electric welding or cutting apparatus, blow lamps, blow torches, grinding wheels, cutting discs, or bitumen or tar boilers.

Perhaps policyholders feel it’s not really their place to seek more information from contractors about the work they are carrying out. The problem remains that things can go badly wrong.

Frequency and severity

The biggest barriers to hot works compliance is risk perception. We find contractors are occasionally quoted along the lines of: “I’ve been doing hot works all my life and I’ve never seen a fire, so why would I need a permit to work?”

Let’s look at the facts. According to Fire and Rescue Service data, there are around 60,000 primary fires – those affecting people and property – every year across England alone. Also, Zurich estimates that 15% of all commercial and industrial fires are caused by hot works. Overall, the frequency of hot works fires is higher than many of us might expect.

However, it is the severity of the outcome of these fires that really stands out. For example, a blaze at the famous Mandarin Hotel in London in 2018, led to a reported £9m of damage and a costly six-month closure. Fortunately, no lives were lost here but this is just one of a catalogue of cases that may have been prevented through a simple permit designed to ensure work is carried out competently and as safely as possible.

Ensuring good outcomes

So, how can we change risk perception? We need to turn the negativity we see around hot works permits into something positive. Here is a strong opportunity to inform customers, add value and ensure good outcomes. Together we can equip customers with the knowledge they need to make effective, timely and properly informed decisions, which can lead to incident avoidance.

For our part this is why we’ve recently added a new ‘Hot Works Permits: Everything you need to know’  section to our website, and have organised an up-and-coming free online webinar with one of our risk consultants, to learn more about them.

Lisa Beaton is the risk management and surveys operations manager, RiskSTOP

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