NFPA 241, Standard for Means of Protection for Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations.

Fires in facilities under construction tend to have small proportions and do not transcend public knowledge, only the largest fires and public connotation are those that transcend. However, in Chile and at a regional level we have statistics related to fires in facilities under construction that allow us to have fairly sufficient knowledge of the causes of these fires. What is especially relevant about these data is the frequency with which these fires are occurring, which we used to see very spaced before. Our national and regional statistics are perfectly comparable to those of the rest of the world, where there is an upward trend in the phenomenon.

In the United States from 2016 to 2020, the Fire Departments responded to 4,300 fires in construction structures per year, demonstrated in their statistical records. These fires caused 5 fatalities, 62 serious ones and more than 376 million dollars, as an average loss, per year. Understanding the regulatory differences, and especially the construction systems that the United States has, continues to be a relevant comparison factor to expose some of the criteria described in this note.

The current construction reality implies understanding that new construction methods and materials are constantly being introduced, as well as new technologies, for this reason it is important that fire protection management during the construction stage is constantly updated and in consideration of these key points.

To be specific in this analysis, I will refer to the construction phase, understood as the phase in which the physical installation begins to be built on site until its final delivery. A fire in a facility under construction can mainly be caused by a null or poor assessment of fire risk during all phases of construction, but it is also likely that a fire will break out despite active preventive management on the subject of protection. fire protection.

The main factor in fires during the construction phase is hot work in general, the projection of incandescent particles, for example, by using an angle grinder or by welding, are undoubtedly the main causes of fires in construction.

The human cause due to carelessness, negligence or intentionality occupy the second place, along with the electrical cause. And when pointing out the "human cause due to carelessness, negligence or intentionality" many times it is the management of combustible material and hazardous materials, storage and everything that has to do with the supply line.

During my experience as a Scientific Investigator of Fires and Explosions in Chile, I have participated as a judicial expert in a relevant case for the construction industry, where a truck supplying construction supplies suffered an accident on highway 5 south, involving a passenger bus, and unfortunately more than 7 people died due to the fire. For this reason, it is important to emphasize the responsibility for the traceability of hazardous materials and raw materials in active construction, since they are a sensitive part of the fire protection analysis.

An important aspect to carry out a general analysis of fire risk during the construction stage of a facility is to understand that the fire dynamics are not the same as in a finished construction. The fire dynamics, specifically the thermal fluid during a fire, depends on many factors such as pressure differences, temperature differences, density differences, and also other factors such as oxygen supply and fuel geometry. It is necessary to start from the base that during the construction stage there is a high risk of fire due to the nature of the activity, since there are spaces and fuels that could spread a fire, facilitating the dissipation of the thermal fluid, this finally prevents the confinement of the fire resulting in many occasions with the total compromise of the structure.

Taking into account that modern fire attack tactics used by firefighters prioritize the safety of operations, and in a situation where the structural stability of the facility is involved, firefighters will inevitably have to switch to defensive tactics (external attack), to take care of your staff.

The choice of construction materials that meet standards and that are approved by the authority with corresponding jurisdiction is important both in the construction stage and in the operation stage of the facility. During the construction stage, it is critical to carry out direct and constant control over combustible and flammable products, with materials that have a high combustibility and hazardous materials, a greater management of fire risk control must be carried out, prior analysis.

As already mentioned, it is important to carry out a fire risk analysis of all the materials that are transported to and from the facility under construction, since they are the direct and non-transferable responsibility of the construction administration. This analysis should be extended to the procedures for purchasing, transporting and receiving these materials, since many times it is the reception and storage processes where fires are generated during the construction phase.

Nowadays, fires on facades have unfortunately become disturbingly repetitive, sometimes due to the wrong choice of material or construction technique, causing irremediable human losses.

In this sense, emphasis should be placed on the fire risk analysis, each stage presents specific risks, consequently, the constant performance of fire risk assessments is key to preventing them from occurring. It is necessary to highlight that the traditional or more common methods for fire risk assessment are often not adequate or are not applied correctly. There is a great variety of techniques and methods to carry out this type of evaluation, many times more than one technique must be used, the most important thing is to seek advice from qualified personnel authorized by the authority with corresponding jurisdiction.

Many times internal management is done for our staff and contractors are not included, which during the construction phase could exceed 70% of the people who are actively working on the site. As a security professional, I have had positive and negative experiences, specifically in fire safety, and it is relevant to take into account the fire risk factor that contractors' operations can mean. Implementing an integrated fire protection program during construction considers not only monitoring contractors' work, but also reviewing your own personnel and safety management systems. Industrial safety and fire protection professionals in general cannot be left only with a management that seeks to bureaucratically comply with human safety and fire prevention management. It is the obligation of the construction administration that all contractors are properly instructed about the risk of fire, the way in which they can be avoided and what to do in case they occur. The supervision of the work must control the work of contractors through analysis of work safety and the approval of work permits with active supervision.

Therefore, it is appropriate to emphasize the relevance of safety supervision management during inductions, which must be serious, clear sessions and knowledge transfer techniques to ensure that our contractor has the same perception of fire risk. that construction management has. For no reason should they become mechanized and bureaucratic sessions where the person is not considered central to the process.

Obviously the clearest efforts must be in fire prevention, with fire protection being a secondary but no less important activity. In this sense, training in the response to a fire is a critical factor to prevent the fire from spreading in a structure that presents particularities of openings and spaces, therefore it is relevant to ensure that all personnel can evacuate the place and be safe.

We must be very clear that a fire should be fought only by firefighters who have the proper training, tools and personal protective equipment. Construction fire brigades often do not have adequate personal protective equipment and are not trained to deal with a fire condition. The fire brigades can only act with an incipient fire that does not involve their safety or that of others; they should focus on the evacuation of personnel and the facilitation of the actions of external support forces.

Fire protection must be in the DNA of all workers involved in all phases of the construction of a facility, this DNA must be fed with management and commitment by the administration and all lines of command. Establishing an effective, visible and demonstrated fire safety culture ensures that all fire protection efforts during the construction phase are effective. It's not about moving to invasive and totalitarian risk management, it's about working with behavior-based fire safety. The only way to achieve this objective is to convince through the transfer of effective and clear knowledge.

Familiarization and ideally the application of the standard "NFPA 241, Standard for Means of Protection for Construction, Alteration and Demolition Operations" is important, this is a document focused on reducing the risk of fire in facilities under construction, as well as in facilities that are being remodeled or demolished. NFPA 241, has been conceived as a tool for mitigation management through prevention and protection against fires in construction sites. NFPA 241, is a document widely cited by "NFPA 1, Code of Fires". The current edition of the document is 2022, it is a dynamic document, which contains numerous changes in definitions, materials and others. What is particularly strange is that, despite being 93 years old, it is one of the Lesser-known documents from the industrial safety, fire safety, and construction industry in general, consequently, their application is often null or incorrect.

The correct application of this standard implies the administration's commitment to maintaining an effective Fire Prevention Program, in charge of a qualified professional, during all stages of the construction project. This implies a cost that is often seen as a tax expense and not as an investment that comes from risk analysis and loss control. At this point, my recommendation is that all parties involved in the construction industry familiarize themselves with the document and apply it effectively. It can be demonstrated statistically and technically that it is an optimal management tool to prevent fires in the construction stage of the facilities.

The 2022 edition of NFPA 241 has numerous relevant changes, such as revisions to the general requirements where it specifies that the owner must designate a person responsible for the fire prevention program. This person must ensure that the program is carried out until its completion, this person may also be replaced with personnel duly authorized by the authority with corresponding jurisdiction, the title of this person will be "Manager of the Fire Prevention Program". This person will have authority to enforce the provisions of this and other applicable fire protection standards for the specific construction. He must be a competent person with knowledge of applicable fire protection codes and standards, available fire protection systems, and fire inspection procedures. When temporary systems are used, this person should consult with the registered design professional in charge, and will also have general responsibility for safeguarding life and property from fire during construction, alteration, and demolition of the facility under his/her charge.

The Fire Prevention Program Manager, his designee, or someone from the team under his charge, must carry out daily inspections to identify deficiencies and dangers, must ensure that measures are taken to correct any deficiency or danger immediately, following a strict control and registration of their actions available to the authority with corresponding jurisdiction.

The Fire Prevention Program Manager shall ensure that fire prevention awareness and education is provided to all contractors involved with the project. The Fire Prevention Program Manager must be informed of all fires that occur in accordance with the established fire safety plan, this plan must be coordinated with other safety plans or existing actions as required by applicable codes or standards.

NFPA 241, in its section 4.2 “Fire Prevention Program”, indicates that a general fire prevention program specific to the project must be developed. (4.2.1)

4.2.2 The following elements will be addressed in the Fire Prevention Program:

(1) Development of a pre-incident plan in accordance with NFPA 1620.

(2) Emergency contacts.

(3) Site emergency communication procedures.

(4) Responsibilities of site personnel during an incident.

(5) Signage for site address(es) and building identification acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

(6) On-site hot work operations.

(7) Fire protection systems, as follows:

(a) For construction operations, installation of new fire protection systems as construction progresses.

(b) For renovation operations, conservation of the existing fire protection systems during the renovation.

(c) For demolition operations, preservation of existing fire protection systems during demolition.

(d) Procedure for the Fire Prevention Program Management to notify the installing contractor when it is necessary to make changes to the previously installed temporary protection.

(8) Procedures for reporting the specific location of an emergency incident to first responders.

(9) Emergency evacuation procedures for site personnel.

(10) Good housekeeping.

(11) Garbage deposit.

(12) Site security.

(13) Consideration of special risks.

(14) Protection of existing structures and equipment against exposure fires.

(15) Documentation for applicable project fire-related inspections, tests, training, and drills as required by this standard.

(16) A life safety plan that emphasizes the need to do all of the following:

  (a) Alert emergency personnel.

  (b) Provide clear exit routes to safety.

  (c) Ensure that lighting and markings are provided to allow safe travel of personnel.

(17) Temporary public services, as well:

  (a) Safety plan for on-site gas supplies in accordance with NFPA 55 and NFPA 58.

  (b) Verification that direct fired heaters used for drying and temporary heat do not discharge dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

  (c) Periodic checks for leaks and the condition of temporary pipes and hoses used for the distribution of fuels.

  (d) Periodic review and verification of connections and temporary grounding of electrical systems.

There are no general formulas for fire prevention during the construction stage of an installation, as well as fire prevention in general. These are specific and own processes, which obey a number of particular factors, consequently, fire protection during the construction stage must be understood as a true tailored suit, carried out through the correct analysis of fire risk. by technically qualified professionals. This tailor-made suit, which is specific fire protection, must be an applicable, clear and effective tool. It is not acceptable for it to become a bureaucratic process of filling out forms, without placing worker safety as the central axis of management, which obviously also extends to the protection of assets, equipment and the continuity of operations.

At pirolisis.com we can guide you in implementing NFPA 241 in your project.

Finally, the most common error that generates fires during the construction phase of an installation is not respecting the rules and conditions of fire safety, human behavior is the factor that follows and consequently a factor in which action must be taken. fire safety management. The implementation of an effective fire protection program during the construction phase is crucial, being the fire risk analysis the starting tool to determine adequate fire protection procedures and the type of active fire protection necessary during the construction phase. Likewise, the importance of working with technically qualified professionals and the support of management for the proper functioning of the system is highlighted.

thank you for your time

Heriberto Moreira C ⸫ / NAFI-CFEI-CFII