Fire Safety — Working in Occupied Buildings
Fire Safety — Working in Occupied Buildings
Refurb or maintenance in a lived-in home, an office or a block of units? There are people above and below you. The fire-safety rules that change when the building is occupied.
Before you start
- Know the escape routes and keep them clear — yours and the occupants'
- Do not prop or wedge fire doors; do not disable alarms or detectors without a managed plan
- Keep compartmentation intact — seal any penetrations you make through fire-rated walls or floors
Hot works (grinding, welding, torch-on, soldering)
- Use a hot-work permit; clear combustibles or screen them
- Keep the right extinguisher to hand (dry chemical / CO₂)
- Fire watch during the work and for at least 30–60 minutes after
Day to day
- Store LPG and flammables correctly and out of escape routes
- Clear combustible waste daily — do not let it build up
- Tell the occupier or building manager about any temporary impairment to fire systems
Reference only — not a substitute for the building's fire-safety plan and your WHS duties. In an occupied building, the occupants' escape comes before the schedule. Emergency: 000.
Sources: NCC fire-safety provisions · state WHS regulators · AS 1851 (maintenance of fire protection systems)
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