Hot Work & Fire Watch
The fire from hot work usually starts after the torch is off — smouldering in the wall cavity or the pile of debris nobody moved, while everyone's packing up. A free talk from Blue Crane Works in Hamilton, Ontario, with a printable sign-in sheet.
How to run it
Read it through once, then talk it — don't recite it. Five minutes at the start of the shift, crew standing where the work happens. Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act requires every employer to provide information, instruction and supervision to protect workers (s. 25(2)(a)). A talk like this, led by a supervisor or someone they trust, is one way to do it, and the sign-in sheet is what proves it happened.
Talk through these points
- Hot work means a check before the sparks: what's within reach of sparks and heat — including the other side of the wall?
- Move the combustibles or shield them. Ontario's construction regulation (O. Reg. 213/91, s. 123) requires precautions against fire when welding or cutting — this is that, on paper.
- Charged extinguisher within reach — not 'somewhere on site.' The person doing the work knows exactly where.
- A fire watch during the work and AFTER it — smoulders surface long after the torch stops. Assign a name, not a vibe.
- Permits aren't bureaucracy: the hot work permit is the checklist that catches the one thing you'd have missed.
- Gas cylinders upright, secured, capped when idle, hoses inspected. The fuel side of hot work deserves its own respect.
Ask the crew
- Where would sparks land that we haven't looked — floor openings, the far side?
- Who is the fire watch on today's cutting, by name?
- How long do we actually watch after the torch stops?
The answers are the real talk. If a question lands on a live hazard, write it down and assign it a name and a date.
Paper it
A talk without a record didn't happen, as far as anyone who asks is concerned. Print these free:
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