Fire Safety During Building Refurbishment: What Manchester Property Owners Must Know
Building refurbishment is when fire risk peaks. The normal fire protection measures in your building — fire detection, compartmentation, escape routes, emergency lighting — are systematically disrupted by the very work being done. Walls get opened up, fire doors get propped open or removed, detection systems get isolated to prevent false alarms from dust and fumes, and escape routes get blocked by materials and equipment.
A disproportionate number of serious commercial building fires in the UK occur during refurbishment or renovation. The Joint Fire Prevention Committee's statistics consistently show that construction and refurbishment activity is a major contributor to fire losses in commercial property. For Manchester building owners commissioning refurbishment work, understanding and managing fire safety during the project is not an optional extra — it is a legal obligation and a practical necessity.
Quick answer: During refurbishment, the building owner or occupier retains responsibility for fire safety under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, even when contractors are on site. You need an updated fire risk assessment covering the refurbishment phase, a hot work permit system, an impairment management plan for any fire protection system that is taken offline, temporary fire detection where permanent systems are isolated, maintained escape routes and emergency lighting throughout, and clear coordination between your team and the contractors. Call 0161 706 1360 if you need temporary fire detection, emergency lighting or electrical safety support during your refurbishment project.
Legal Responsibilities During Refurbishment
The building owner's obligations do not pause during building work. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the FSO), the responsible person — usually the building owner or occupier — must ensure that fire safety measures are maintained so far as is reasonably practicable throughout the refurbishment.
This means:
- The fire risk assessment must be reviewed and updated to cover the refurbishment phase, including the specific fire hazards introduced by the work (hot work, flammable materials, ignition sources, compromised compartmentation).
- Escape routes must remain available and clearly signed, even if the normal routes are altered by the work. Temporary alternative routes may be needed.
- Fire detection and warning systems must continue to protect occupied areas. Where detection is isolated in the work zone, compensatory measures must be in place.
- Emergency lighting must cover all escape routes, including any temporary routes created during the work.
Where the building is partially occupied during refurbishment — the most common scenario in Manchester commercial refurbishments — both the building owner and the principal contractor have concurrent fire safety duties. Clear written agreements about who manages what are essential. Gaps in responsibility are where fires start and responses fail.
Updating Your Fire Risk Assessment
Your existing fire risk assessment covers the building in its normal operating condition. Refurbishment changes the risk profile fundamentally, and the assessment must be updated before work starts.
The updated assessment should address:
Changed fire hazards. Refurbishment introduces new ignition sources (hot work, temporary electrical installations, power tools), new fuel loads (packaging, insulation materials, timber, solvents, adhesives) and new pathways for fire spread (opened-up walls and floors, removed fire doors, breached compartment lines).
Impaired fire protection. Which fire detection zones will be isolated? Which fire doors will be removed or held open? Which sprinkler heads will be capped or taken offline? Which compartment walls will be breached? Each impairment needs a compensatory measure documented in the assessment.
Changed escape routes. Will any escape routes be blocked by scaffolding, materials storage or work activity? Are temporary alternative routes needed? Do those routes have adequate signage, emergency lighting and fire detection coverage?
Occupancy during work. Will the building remain occupied during the refurbishment? If so, which areas will be occupied, what separation exists between occupied and work areas, and how will occupants be alerted to a fire in the work zone?
Phasing. Large refurbishments proceed in phases, and the fire risk profile changes at each phase. The fire risk assessment should be reviewed at each significant phase change and updated accordingly.
Hot Work: The Biggest Single Fire Risk
Hot work — any work that produces sparks, flames or heat — is the single biggest cause of fire during refurbishment. Welding, cutting, grinding, soldering, brazing, bitumen heating and the use of blowtorches for plumbing or roofing all fall into this category.
A hot work permit system is essential. Before any hot work begins, a permit should be issued that covers:
- The exact location and nature of the work.
- The duration of the permit (typically one shift or one day — never open-ended).
- Fire precautions in place: combustible materials cleared from the area, fire-resistant sheeting in place, fire extinguisher and/or fire blanket available at the work location.
- Post-work fire watch: a designated person must remain in the area for at least 60 minutes after hot work ceases, checking for smouldering materials and hidden hot spots. Many hot-work fires start hours after the work itself has finished, when residual heat ignites combustible material behind walls or in voids.
- The person authorising the permit, the person carrying out the work and the fire watch person should all sign the permit.
- Grinding or cutting steel produces sparks that fall through floor gaps into voids or onto insulation below. The material smoulders for hours before igniting.
- Soldering or brazing pipework near timber joists or cable trays. The flame or conducted heat ignites the timber.
- Bitumen heating for flat roof work. The bitumen pot is left unattended or positioned too close to combustible roofing material.
- Welding on structural steelwork where the heat conducts along the steel into a concealed area containing combustible material.
Impairment Management for Fire Protection Systems
When fire detection, fire alarms, sprinklers or other fire protection systems must be taken offline during refurbishment work, an impairment management plan is needed.
Fire detection isolation. Dust from demolition, drilling, sanding and cutting causes false alarms in smoke detectors. The instinctive response is to isolate the detection zone covering the work area. This is often necessary, but it creates a gap in coverage that must be managed:
- Isolate only the minimum number of zones or devices necessary. Do not isolate the entire building's detection system because one zone produces false alarms.
- Document which zones or devices are isolated, when they were isolated and when they will be reinstated.
- Implement compensatory measures: fire watch patrols, temporary standalone smoke detectors in adjacent areas, increased vigilance by site personnel.
- Reinstate detection at the end of each working day wherever possible. Leaving detection isolated overnight, when the building is unoccupied and the work area is unsupervised, is a significant risk.
We install temporary fire detection for refurbishment projects across Greater Manchester. Temporary detectors can be deployed for the duration of the work and removed when permanent detection is reinstated.
Sprinkler and suppression system impairment. If sprinkler heads must be capped, pipework drained or suppression systems isolated, the insurer must be notified. Most commercial property insurance policies require notification of any impairment to fire suppression systems, and failure to notify may void cover for fire losses during the impairment period.
Maintaining Escape Routes and Emergency Lighting
Escape routes during refurbishment are often altered, restricted or temporarily rerouted. The key requirements:
All occupied areas must have at least one viable escape route at all times. If normal routes are blocked by work, temporary alternative routes must be established, clearly signed and communicated to all occupants.
Emergency lighting must cover all escape routes, including temporary routes. If the permanent emergency lighting is disrupted by the work — fittings removed, circuits isolated, ceiling grids dismantled — temporary emergency lighting must be installed to maintain coverage. Temporary battery-operated emergency lights can be deployed for the duration of the work.
Fire exit signage must be updated to reflect any changes to escape routes. Temporary signs should be clearly visible and consistent with the permanent signage. Photoluminescent signs or illuminated temporary exit signs are needed in areas where natural light is limited.
Access and egress for contractors. Contractors need access to the work area, but their access routes should not compromise the escape routes for building occupants. Where possible, separate contractor access and occupant escape routes should be established.
Housekeeping. Refurbishment generates waste — packaging, offcuts, demolished material. This material must not accumulate in or near escape routes. A daily housekeeping regime should clear escape routes of all obstructions.
Electrical Safety During Refurbishment
Refurbishment work frequently involves the electrical installation, and temporary electrical arrangements introduce their own fire risks:
Temporary electrical supplies. Contractors' temporary distribution boards, extension leads and portable equipment must be suitable for the environment and properly protected. Temporary supplies should be protected by RCDs and installed or verified by a qualified electrician.
Isolation of circuits. When permanent circuits are isolated for work, the isolation must be documented and managed through a permit-to-work or lock-off system. Unexpected re-energisation of isolated circuits is both a fire risk and a personal safety risk.
Reinstatement testing. When electrical work is completed during each phase, the affected circuits should be tested before being re-energised. An EICR or installation certificate for the completed work confirms that the electrical installation is safe.
Temporary lighting. Construction work areas often need temporary lighting. Halogen work lights, which are still found on some sites, generate significant heat and are a fire risk if positioned near combustible materials. LED work lights are safer and should be specified.
Coordination Between Building Owner and Contractor
The most dangerous refurbishment projects are those where fire safety responsibilities are unclear. The building owner assumes the contractor is managing fire risk in the work area. The contractor assumes the building owner is managing fire risk in the occupied areas. And the interface between the two — where the work area meets the occupied area — is managed by neither.
A fire safety coordination meeting before work starts should establish:
- Who is the responsible person for fire safety in the occupied areas? (Usually the building owner or their FM team.)
- Who is the responsible person for fire safety in the work area? (Usually the principal contractor's site manager.)
- What are the interface arrangements? How will fire detection, alarm and escape be managed across the boundary?
- How will hot work permits be managed?
- How will fire protection system impairments be communicated and managed?
- What are the emergency procedures? How will the contractor's team be alerted to a fire in the occupied area and vice versa?
- Who coordinates with the fire and rescue service if needed?
Manchester Context
Greater Manchester has a large stock of older commercial buildings undergoing refurbishment — Victorian and Edwardian warehouses being converted to offices and apartments, 1960s and 1970s office buildings being modernised, industrial units being repurposed. These buildings often have complex existing fire protection arrangements, multiple occupiers and limited escape route options.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) takes a proactive approach to fire safety during refurbishment. Their protection teams may visit sites where significant refurbishment is under way, particularly in high-rise buildings and buildings with sleeping risk. Having a robust fire safety plan in place before they visit demonstrates competence and avoids enforcement action.
Manchester City Council's building control team also has oversight of fire safety aspects of refurbishment work that falls under building regulations. Coordination between building control, the fire service and the refurbishment team avoids conflicting requirements and delays.
What We Provide for Refurbishment Projects
We support refurbishment projects across Greater Manchester with the electrical fire safety elements:
- Temporary fire detection — standalone and networked systems deployed for the duration of the work.
- Temporary emergency lighting — battery-operated fittings installed along escape routes, including temporary routes.
- Electrical isolation management — safe isolation of circuits, documentation and reinstatement testing.
- EICR and installation testing — phase-end and project-end testing of completed electrical work.
- Fire alarm reinstatement — testing and recommissioning of fire alarm systems after refurbishment.
Email: hello@manchestercompliance.co.uk
Address: 25 Holden Clough Drive, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL7 9TH