Section 1917.152 - Fire Protection

Part 1917 provides a list of mandatory fire safety precautions that must be applied during hot work. These are summarized as follows:

• To the extent possible, hot work must be performed in areas that are free of fire hazards. This includes removing drums and containers that have contained flammable or combustible materials. If these items cannot be removed, they must be securely closed.
• If it is not possible to work in an area free of fire hazards, necessary precautions must be taken to confine heat, sparks, and slag such that they will not come into contact with flammable or combustible material.
• Fire extinguishing equipment must be maintained for readiness at all times and be immediately available in the area where hot work is taking place.
• The employer must instruct all employees involved in hot work operations about fire hazards and the use of firefighting equipment.
• When normal fire prevention precautions are not sufficient, additional personnel must be assigned to guard against fire during hot work. This fire watch must continue for a period of time after the hot work is completed to ensure that no fire hazard remains.
• If openings or cracks in the flooring under the hot work area cannot be closed, precautions must be taken to ensure that neither employees nor flammable or combustible materials in the area below are exposed to sparks dropping through the floor. Similar precautions must be taken regarding openings or cracks in walls, doorways, and windows.
• Hot work may not be performed in flammable or potentially flammable atmospheres until a designated person has deemed these areas not hazardous for such work.
• Hot work must not be performed on equipment or tanks that have contained flammable gas or liquids, combustible liquids, or dust-producing materials until a designated person has deemed these areas not hazardous for such work.
• Hot work may not be performed in any area in which exposed ignitable materials are located. Examples of such materials are baled paper and baled cotton. Hot work may be performed around bulk sulphur only if the employee has been instructed in preventing and extinguishing bulk sulphur fires.

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