UK Construction Site Fire Safety Regulations

Fire safety on UK construction sites is governed primarily by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). Together they place a clear duty on the principal contractor to identify fire risks, control them, and ensure workers can raise the alarm and evacuate safely.

Practical guidance is set out in the joint industry document HSG168 — Fire Safety in Construction, published by the HSE. It is the benchmark inspectors use when assessing whether a site is compliant.

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 evolves, and ensure suitable fire detection, alarm, and firefighting equipment is in place from day one.

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

A fire point is a clearly identified location with fire extinguishers, a means of raising the alarm (typically a break-glass call point), and fire action signage. HSG168 recommends:

• A fire point on every floor of a building under construction.
• Maximum 30 metres travel distance from any work position to a fire point.
• Fire points sited on escape routes, near exits and stair cores.
• Clear signage visible in low-light conditions.

For multi-storey or scaffolded works, a scaffold post fire point is usually the most practical solution; mobile fire trolleys suit ground-level works where the layout changes frequently.

Different fire risks need different extinguishing media. 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. Mandatory wherever temporary power is in use.
• Water — Class A only; suitable for fit-out and joinery-heavy phases.
• Dry powder — broad coverage including Class C (gases); useful around LPG and welding.
• Wet chemical — Class F (cooking oils); only needed where site canteens prepare hot food.

Every Fire Hire UK unit ships with foam + CO₂ as standard and any combination can be swapped in to match your risk assessment.

On smaller sites, standalone call points at each fire point are sufficient — a worker triggers the alarm locally and the site marshal coordinates evacuation.

On larger or multi-zone projects, radio linked fire points are the recommended solution. Triggering one unit sounds every linked unit across the site simultaneously, giving everyone the same warning at the same moment — critical when scaffold levels or compound buildings sit out of earshot from each other.

• 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 — 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.