Hazard Supervision During Hot Work

Several hot work situations require the presence of an employee dedicated to watching for fire flare-ups. This supervision is referred to as a "fire watch." The standard at 29 CFR 1915.504(b) requires a fire watch during hot work when the following conditions are present:

• A Marine Chemist, a U.S. Coast Guard-authorized person, or a shipyard competent person, as defined in 29 CFR Part 1915, Subpart B, has required a fire watch.
• Slag, weld splatter, or sparks could pass through an opening and cause a fire.
• Fire-resistant guards or curtains are not used to prevent ignition of combustible materials on or near decks, bulkheads, partitions, or overheads.
• Combustible material located closer than 35 feet to the hot work, in either the horizontal or vertical direction, cannot be removed, protected with flameproof covers, or otherwise shielded from ignition.
• The hot work is performed on or near insulation, combustible coatings, or sandwich-type construction that cannot be shielded, cut back, or removed.
• Combustible materials on the other side of the area being worked on may be ignited by conduction or radiation.
• The hot work is close enough to cause ignition of insulated pipes, bulkheads, decks, partitions, overheads, combustible materials or coatings, unprotected combustible pipe, or cable runs.

To learn more about Shipyard Hot Work visit our Shipyard Hot Work Online Training web page.