What are the main points?
Those who create risks have a responsibility to manage those risks – placing the ownership of potential fire risks in the right place is the main message of Safe2Torch. Therefore, it is essential to make sure all fire risks are identified at the survey stage and factored in to the specification before it is written. This means that where any fire risk has been identified, or, just as importantly, where it cannot be ruled out, then the relevant parts of that specification must default to torch-free solutions. If, subsequently, it can be demonstrated that an area is safe (for example,. when uncovering an area on a refurbishment project) then the specification can, if agreed between all parties, revert to torch application.
The Safe2Torch campaign is designed to support specification writers to comply with the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015, and ties in with the HSE’s led ‘Helping Great Britain Work Well’ strategy which promotes a safer and healthier working environment.
Put simply, Safe2Torch is a positive message which puts safety first at the design stage.