For our first issue of "Ask The Fire Inspector", we will tackle a question that comes up very often: Do I need a hot works program?

By calling it a program it sounds complicated: as if it will require substantial planning and be onerous to manage.

First, the bad news. It does take a bit of work to setup and manage. The good news is that it's worth it! Over 2400 non-home fires start each year in the US because of some form of hot work[1]. That is a statistic you cannot afford to ignore.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Food Processing
While an employee was using an oxyacetylene cutting torch to modify a bracket in a boiler room, hot slag ignited canvas and plywood that were being used as a temporary covering over a hole in the wall between the fire-resistive boiler room and the storage room. Fire then spread to waxed cartons and plastic bags in the storage room. Loss was $650,000.