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Fire caused by hot work
A member has reported an incident in which a small fire was caused by hot work taking place on the deck above. The incident occurred when a repair was being performed by a sub-contractor on a steel plate in the forecastle area. The job involved using an oxy-acetylene torch to remove an old corroded plate. During this activity, the oxy-acetylene cutting of the plate caused heat transfer from the forecastle deck area to the store-man’s office area (located directly below the place where the hot work was being carried out). As a result, glowing slag fell on the store-man’s chair, which caught fire. There was no-one in the storeman’s office at the time. The fire detection equipment in the office caused the alarm to go off. There were no injuries.
![Fire-damaged chair after the event](https://imcaweb.blob.core.windows.net/wp-uploads/2013/05/IMCASF08-13-image5.jpg)
Our member’s investigation revealed the following:
- Immediate causes:
- Fire watch location was not well planned by supervision;
- Melt slag felt on top of the store-man’s chair.
- Root Causes:
- Failure to control and conduct of safe work (permit to work planning failed);
- Failed check of the workplace;
- Inadequate risk assessment (warning about the smell of smoke in the store-man’s office was not investigated by the fire watcher).
Our member took the following preventative and corrective measures:
- Held discussion with all parties involved to ensure all understand their responsibilities;
- Ensured that any spaces identified as at risk of heat transfer from hot work are identified in the appropriate section of the job risk analysis beforehand;
- Raised awareness of correct identification of adjoining compartments/spaces in regard to hot work and heat transfer through bulkheads, decks, etc.;
- Double check (second pair of eyes) to identify any deck penetrations to improve spatial awareness;
- Ensure fire detection system is fully functional during hot work.
Safety Event
Published: 21 May 2013
Download: IMCA SF 08/13
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