UK Construction Site Fire Safety Regulations

In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). Together they require the principal contractor to identify fire risks, control them, and make sure workers can raise the alarm and get out safely.

Scotland has the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Northern Ireland has the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and its own version of CDM, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016. CDM 2015 covers England, Wales and Scotland.

The practical guidance is HSG168, Fire safety in construction, published by the HSE and now in its third edition (2022). Following it is not compulsory, but the HSE says that if you do follow it you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law, and inspectors refer to it.

Larger projects add an insurance layer. The Joint Code of Practice on the Protection from Fire of Construction Sites and Buildings Undergoing Renovation applies to projects with a contract value of £2.5 million or more, with further requirements from £20 million. Insurers on larger projects normally require compliance, and on smaller ones the Code still serves as best practice.

The principal contractor is the responsible person under the Fire Safety Order for the duration of the works. They must produce a site-specific fire risk assessment, review it as the project changes, and make sure suitable fire detection, alarm and firefighting equipment is in place from day one.

Sub-contractors keep responsibility for their own activities, particularly hot works, hoardings and temporary accommodation, and must coordinate with the principal contractor's plan.

Hiring equipment does not move the duty. The supplier keeps the equipment serviceable. The principal contractor stays responsible for having enough of it, in the right places, and working.

A fire point is a clearly identified location with fire extinguishers, a means of raising the alarm (usually a break glass call point) and fire action signage. HSG168 asks for extinguishers at identified fire points around the site, kept off the ground on hooks or stands, and marked by a red stand or a safety sign. The working rules:

• At least one fire point on every occupied floor. For typical fire hazards, HSG168 treats one 13A water or foam extinguisher and one CO₂ extinguisher (at least 1.1 kg) per 200 m² of floor area as reasonable cover, with no fewer than both on each floor.
• No more than 30 metres to walk from any work position to the nearest extinguisher. That figure comes from BS 5306-8, the British Standard for positioning portable extinguishers, and it is measured along the route people actually walk.
• Fire points on escape routes, near exits and stair cores, so raising the alarm never means walking towards the fire.
• A fire point in the immediate vicinity of any designated smoking area, which HSG168 asks for specifically.

HSG168 also sets maximum escape distances to a place of safety, which is a separate measurement. On a normal risk site the limit is 45 metres where there are alternative routes and 18 metres in a dead end. Where the fire risk is higher, those fall to 25 and 12 metres.

For multi-storey or scaffolded works, a scaffold post fire point is usually the most practical option. Mobile fire trolleys suit ground-level works where the layout changes often. We work through the count with examples in how many fire points a construction site needs.

Match the extinguisher to what could burn. HSG168 gives the pairings: water, foam or multi-purpose dry powder for wood, paper and cloth; dry powder or foam for flammable liquids; and CO₂ or dry powder for electrical items. The typical mix on a UK construction site is:

• Foam (AFFF): Class A (wood, paper, cardboard) and Class B (flammable liquids). The everyday workhorse.
• CO₂: electrical fires and live equipment. Expected wherever temporary power is in use.
• Water: Class A only. Suits fit-out and joinery-heavy phases.
• Dry powder: broad coverage including Class C (gases), so it is useful around LPG and welding. HSG168 notes that it has no cooling effect and can reduce visibility.
• Wet chemical: Class F (cooking oils). Only needed where a site canteen prepares hot food.

HSG168 also expects every extinguisher to be examined at least once a year by a competent person, following BS 5306-3, with the date recorded on the extinguisher itself. Every Fire Hire UK unit ships with foam and CO₂ as standard, and any combination can be swapped in to match your risk assessment. Ratings, colour codes and servicing are covered on our fire extinguisher hire page.

HSG168 sets out a sliding scale. Word of mouth is only acceptable on very small open-air sites. A self-contained alarm unit is the minimum on a limited number of sites that are open structures or have only a few rooms. On the majority of sites, the HSE expects an interconnected system of call points and sounders, wired or wireless.

Radio linked fire points meet that expectation without cabling, and our page on construction site fire alarms shows how a linked system is laid out across a site. Pressing one call point sounds every linked unit across the site at the same moment, which matters when scaffold lifts or compound buildings are out of earshot of each other.

Whichever you use, HSG168 asks for a weekly test by a nominated person to confirm the alarm works and can be heard in the work areas, and for the system to be extended as the site grows. The full comparison is in standalone vs radio linked fire alarms.

• Missing or out-of-date servicing records for extinguishers.
• Fire points blocked by materials or plant.
• Travel distances exceeded as the build progresses and the layout shifts.
• No CO₂ extinguisher near temporary distribution boards.
• Standalone alarms on a site that has outgrown them, with no way to warn the whole workforce at once.

A regular on-site servicing schedule, included with every Fire Hire UK hire, catches these before they become a finding.