During a live refurbishment, fire safety is a moving control problem. Recheck the building whenever the work changes its layout, occupants, fire barriers, alarm coverage, ignition sources or escape routes. Before work starts, record the significant findings, precautions and emergency arrangements in the construction phase plan. Keep escape and warning systems effective for occupants and workers, control combustible materials and hot work, protect compartmentation and fire doors, and give every responsible person a defined role.
This checklist is based on UK construction guidance, with separate notes for England’s residential requirements. It does not replace the project’s fire risk assessment or competent specialist advice. Confirm the law that applies to the building’s location, use, height, occupancy and construction phase.
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1. Establish the current fire-risk picture before work starts
HSE guidance in Fire safety in construction (HSG168) treats fire precautions as a design-stage and construction-stage responsibility. A refurbishment can change from a relatively controlled strip-out to a high-risk period of hot work, temporary openings and stored materials within days. Start with a documented review of the phase that is actually about to begin, rather than relying on the original building assessment.
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- Mark which floors, rooms and circulation areas remain occupied, which are handed to the contractor and which are separated by temporary barriers.
- Record temporary walls, hoardings, access hatches, open shafts, removed ceilings, exposed voids and any openings through fire-resisting construction.
- Note the people present at different times, including residents, staff, visitors, delivery personnel and workers unfamiliar with the building.
- Check whether the sequence of work changes fire spread, smoke movement or the time available to evacuate.
- Identify arrangements for people who may need assistance, including anyone whose normal route, refuge or alarm method is temporarily unavailable.
Put significant findings, precautions and emergency arrangements in the construction phase plan before work begins. Update the plan when a change is material; do not leave the live arrangement in a supervisor’s notebook or an outdated drawing.
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Set review triggers, not just a calendar
There is no single statutory inspection interval that fits every refurbishment. The project fire arrangements should specify who reviews conditions and what events trigger a fresh review. Typical triggers include a new phase or contractor, a change in occupancy, a route closure, an alarm or sprinkler alteration, hot work, delivery of significant combustible stock, opening or closing a fire compartment, and a change in the emergency plan. A daily or shift check may be appropriate for fast-changing work, but the responsible person should set the frequency from the risk rather than adopt a universal number.
2. Keep escape routes usable for occupants and workers
Check every route from occupied and work areas to a place of safety. A route that was acceptable at design stage can become unusable when a corridor is narrowed, a staircase is used for materials, a final exit is locked, or a temporary barrier directs people toward a construction zone.
Route condition checklist
- Clear: remove waste, tools, deliveries, cylinders, protective film and stored materials. Keep the required width available along the whole route.
- Immediately usable: people should not have to move a barrier, find a key, cross an unsecured work area or wait for a supervisor before escaping.
- Lit and identifiable: maintain normal lighting and emergency lighting where required; make temporary directions clear and consistent.
- Suitable for likely users: consider mobility, sensory or cognitive impairments, children, visitors and people who do not speak the site’s main language.
- Protected from construction hazards: separate routes from hot work, dust-producing operations, falling materials, plant movements and temporary storage.
- Available to emergency services: preserve access for fire appliances and keep gates, roads, hard standings and fire-service access points usable.
- Final exits: verify that doors open as intended, are not blocked externally and lead to a safe area rather than another work zone.
When a route must close
Do not close a staircase, corridor or final exit informally. The project team should assess the alternative route, capacity, travel distance, lighting, signage, security and assistance arrangements before the closure. Brief both occupants and workers, place signs at decision points and remove obsolete signs. If no safe alternative exists, change the work sequence or provide a professionally designed temporary arrangement; do not rely on verbal instructions alone.
Partially occupied buildings
HSG168 section 375 states: “If the building is to remain partially occupied, it will be necessary to make sure adequate means of escape are provided for occupants and construction workers and that the fire alarm systems for the occupied parts of the building, and those still under construction, are co-ordinated.” Treat this as a coordination task, not two separate evacuation plans. A resident leaving through a contractor’s route, or a worker entering an occupied stair, must encounter the same clear instructions and a route that remains safe during the alarm.
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3. Verify warning and alarm arrangements
Everyone who needs to act must receive a timely warning despite construction noise, temporary partitions, dust and changes in floor layout. Confirm the chosen warning method suits the size, occupancy and risk of the site. Larger or higher-risk sites may need interconnected systems so an alarm in one area is heard or seen in the others.
Questions to test
- Can occupants and workers hear, see or otherwise receive the warning in every occupied and work area, including plant rooms, basements, welfare facilities and noisy operations?
- Who is authorised to raise the alarm, and can that person do so without passing through the hazard?
- Who calls the fire and rescue service, meets responders and provides keys, plans or information about people remaining inside?
- Are temporary notices, induction briefings and language arrangements clear enough for visitors and new starters?
- Has a change to detectors, sounders, call points or cabling been assessed and recorded?
Detectors may be unsuitable during some construction phases because of dust, fumes or accidental damage. That does not make the area unprotected by default. Control any temporary isolation, removal or relocation through the project’s fire arrangements, with compensating measures and a defined restoration point. Never leave an alarm impairment open-ended or assume that a worker’s phone is an adequate site-wide warning.
4. Control ignition sources and combustible fuel
Refurbishment introduces both ignition and fuel. Strip-out debris, packaging, timber, insulation, adhesives, solvents, paints, soft furnishings and waste can accumulate faster than the original building risk assessment anticipated. Later-stage finishes can be especially combustible while the building’s permanent detection or suppression systems are incomplete.
Storage and housekeeping checks
- Keep only the quantity of combustible material needed for the current task in the work area.
- Store materials in designated locations away from escape routes, ignition sources, temporary heaters, electrical distribution and vulnerable façades.
- Remove waste at a defined frequency; do not allow skips, bags or off-cuts to build up in corridors, shafts or roof spaces.
- Keep flammable liquids and gas cylinders secured, upright and separated from incompatible materials in accordance with the project’s risk assessment.
- Inspect temporary electrical supplies, chargers, extension leads and lighting for damage, overloading and unsuitable placement.
Hot work and other ignition sources
Welding, cutting, grinding, torch-applied roofing, soldering, paint stripping and similar tasks require a task-specific assessment. Define the work area, combustible exposure, separation, supervision, fire watch, equipment, finish time and post-work inspection. Use a permit or equivalent control where the project fire arrangements require one; a form alone is not a control unless the stated precautions are implemented. Portable extinguishers should be selected and positioned from the site’s risk assessment and competent advice. No single consumer model is appropriate for every hot-work situation.
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Stop or relocate hot work if temporary barriers, hidden voids, dust, stored materials or changing occupancy make the original controls unreliable. Check adjacent rooms, floors, cavities and the other side of a wall for heat or sparks, not only the point where the tool is being used.
5. Protect compartmentation, shafts and fire doors
Refurbishment commonly compromises the features that stop fire and smoke spreading. Inspect fire-resisting walls, floors and ceilings; risers and service shafts; access panels; dampers; cavity barriers; and every service penetration made for cables, pipes or ductwork.
What to look for
- Unsealed or poorly sealed penetrations, including temporary cables and pipes.
- Removed ceiling tiles, damaged fire-stopping, open risers and concealed voids exposed by strip-out.
- Gaps around temporary hoardings or doors that allow smoke to bypass the intended separation.
- Fire doors that are damaged, incorrectly hung, missing seals, blocked by materials or wedged open.
- Self-closing devices, latches, hinges and hold-open releases that no longer operate correctly.
- Temporary openings that have no owner, expiry date or reinstatement record.
Log each breach with its location, responsible trade, interim protection and target reinstatement date. Use a properly specified temporary solution where immediate reinstatement is impossible, and have permanent fire-stopping inspected before the area is concealed. Do not assume that a new finish, expanding foam or general-purpose sealant provides a tested fire-resisting detail.
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6. Coordinate dutyholders, occupants and contractors
Live refurbishment often involves a building owner or responsible person, managing agent, principal contractor, specialist trades, residents, tenants and facilities staff. Each party may control a different part of the risk. Share significant risks and agree interfaces in writing.
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Assign named functions
- Who checks routes, exits and temporary barriers, and when?
- Who controls hot-work approvals, combustible storage and waste removal?
- Who tests or monitors the alarm and records impairments?
- Who raises the alarm, calls the fire service, meets responders and brings the building information?
- Who accounts for workers, informs occupants and assists evacuation?
- Who can stop work when a fire precaution is missing or no longer effective?
Include these responsibilities in inductions, toolbox talks, resident communications and shift handovers. Tell occupants about changed exits, alarm signals, noisy periods, access restrictions and how to report a blocked route or damaged door. Contractors should know the occupied-building rules before bringing materials or equipment on site.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.7. Use a phase-by-phase inspection record
A short, repeatable record makes changing conditions visible. Compare the current phase with the previous one using the same operational axes.
| Check area | Questions for the current phase | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Occupation | Which areas are occupied, by whom and at what times? | Marked plans, occupancy information and briefing records |
| Escape | Are temporary and final routes clear, lit, signed, unlocked and usable by the people present? | Route inspection, photographs and closure approvals |
| Alarm | Can every relevant person receive and raise the warning despite noise and layout changes? | Test or impairment records and restoration dates |
| Compartmentation | Are fire-resisting walls, floors, doors, shafts and penetrations intact or protected temporarily? | Opening register, fire-stopping records and door checks |
| Fuel and ignition | Are hot work, temporary heating, electrical equipment, storage and waste controlled for this task? | Task assessments, permits where used, waste and storage checks |
| Response | Do all parties know who raises the alarm, calls responders and assists evacuation? | Emergency plan, contact list, inductions and handovers |
Record the date, area, person completing the check, defects, immediate action, owner and close-out date. Escalate any defect that leaves people without a reliable escape route or warning; do not defer it to the next routine inspection.
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UK construction guidance
HSE’s construction guidance is UK guidance, but detailed legal duties and enforcement arrangements can differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and according to the building’s use. The construction phase plan and project fire risk assessment should identify the applicable dutyholders and legislation.
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Fire Safety Act 2021: England and Wales scope
The Fire Safety Act clarification applies to buildings in England and Wales containing two or more domestic premises. It confirms that the Fire Safety Order scope includes the building’s structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and flat entrance doors. The cited sections commenced on 16 May 2022. During refurbishment, changes to those elements should be considered by the responsible person rather than treated as outside the fire-safety assessment.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
These England-specific regulations came into force on 23 January 2023. For multi-occupied residential buildings with storeys over 11 metres, official guidance describes quarterly checks of communal fire doors and best-endeavour annual checks of flat entrance doors. That schedule is a specific residential provision; it is not a universal inspection frequency for every building or every refurbishment. Apply the requirements that match the building’s height, occupancy and jurisdiction.
High-rise and heritage projects
HSG168 says partially occupied high-rise construction sites require competent specialist advice. Heritage buildings deserve particular care because temporary conditions, hot work and changes to normal management arrangements can create risks that a standard construction layout misses. Engage a competent fire risk assessor or fire engineer when the team cannot confidently evaluate temporary compartmentation, evacuation or partial occupation.
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- Make the immediate risk safe: stop the affected activity, remove people from the danger area or provide a controlled alternative route.
- Notify the responsible people: tell the site lead, responsible person, affected occupiers and relevant contractors what has changed.
- Apply a proportionate interim measure: for example, restore a route, isolate a task, remove fuel, provide a competent temporary fire-resisting arrangement or implement an agreed alarm control.
- Obtain specialist input: use a competent adviser where the defect involves high-rise partial occupation, structural fire protection, complex alarm changes or uncertain fire-stopping.
- Verify and close: inspect the correction, update drawings and records, brief those affected and set a new review trigger if the phase has changed.
Never conceal a breach, leave a disabled warning system without a compensating arrangement, or allow a blocked final exit to become normal practice. A refurbishment is safe only while the temporary arrangements work in the conditions that actually exist.
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