Updated 30 July 2026
Do I need a hot works permit?
If the flame runs on gas, one regulation names it. DSEAR 2002, Schedule 1 para 6(b) asks for “a system of permits to work” where work involves hazardous activities, so far as is reasonably practicable, and a propane torch is a dangerous substance. CDM 2015 reg 32(6) runs alongside it whatever the heat source: “a person must not carry out work unless suitably instructed”. Alone on a domestic job, nobody hands you a permit: you write it.
What counts as hot work?
Any process that generates flame, sparks or heat (HSG168 para 118). Torch-on felt, brazing, soldering irons, heat guns, oxy-fuel, a grinder throwing sparks. Para 118 asks you to design it out first: press-fit and cold-cut where the fitting allows.
How long does the fire watch run?
| What | HSG168 asks for | Para |
|---|---|---|
| WhatFire extinguishers within reach of the work and the watch point | HSG168 asks forAt least 2 | Para122 |
| WhatContinuous fire watch of the area after the last flame | HSG168 asks forAt least 1 hour | Para122 |
| WhatOne further check, timed from the last flame | HSG168 asks forAt 2 hours | Para122 |
| WhatHot work stops before the end of the working day | HSG168 asks for2 hours early | Para123 |
| WhatLocation, times, validity, precautions, alarm, who controls, who closes | HSG168 asks forAll 7 on the permit | Para129 |
Read from HSG168 (third edition, 2022) on 30 July 2026. Most RAMS stop at the one-hour watch.
When is a written permit not needed?
Para 127 asks for a formal permit to work wherever hot works cannot be avoided. Para 132 allows a lighter touch where the risk is low, a designated hot work area say, but the extinguishers and the fire watch stand. Para 125 sets the bar for anything else: a risk assessment showing the fire risk is minimal. HSG168 is guidance, and HSE says following it normally means doing enough to comply with the law.
What has to be in your RAMS?
Every location where a flame is used, the permit reference, the torch-free method where you avoided one, the heat mat, the extinguisher, the watch times, who signs the permit closed. No hot works? Write that down. A reviewer who reads nothing about fire assumes nothing was planned.
Check your RAMS