HSE prosecutes C Watkins Plumbing Limited for ‘hot works’ procedural failures

Photograph: Surrey Fire and Rescue Service/Health and Safety Executive (Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0)

The four subcontractors were working under the control of C Watkins Plumbing Limited to install an air source heat pump on the roof of the Old Telephone Exchange development in Staines-upon-Thames when the incident occurred on 26 July 2024.

Sparks from welding work ignited uncovered rigid foam insulation that had been laid across the roof. The self-sustaining fire developed quickly, duly spreading across the whole of the roof space before burning itself out when it ran out of fuel.

The four men escaped through a single opening in the floor and down a ladder to Level 14. There was no other way to exit the roof, no means of raising the alarm and no fire extinguishers were present on-site.

Investigation process

An investigation process conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that C Watkins Plumbing Limited had failed to plan, manage and monitor the ‘hot works’ that had been conducted on the roof of the building.

Despite the company having policies in place requiring them, there was no risk assessment or method statement in place and a ‘Permit to Work’ had not been issued for the welding.

The HSE’s dedicated guidance (ie HSG168 – Fire Safety in Construction) states that fire safety measures must be considered throughout all stages of design and procurement and implemented effectively during construction. Risk assessments must identify high-risk activities where fires can spread quickly and situations where evacuation plans are complex.

Further, all risk assessments and control measures must be reviewed throughout the construction phase to make sure they remain suitable and sufficient.

Guilty plea

On 29 October at Staines Magistrates’ Court, C Watkins Plumbing Limited (of Watkins House, Leigh Road, Haine Industrial Park, Ramsgate, Kent) pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.

HSE inspector Stephanie Hickford-Smith said: “C Watkins Plumbing Limited failed to follow its own procedures for ‘hot works’. The company did not assess the risks and so had no control measures in place.”

Hickford-Smith added: “The four men working on the roof were lucky to escape. Had the fire started closer to their escape route, or had they not acted as quickly as they did, then the outcome could have been devastatingly different.”

This prosecution was brought forward by HSE senior enforcement lawyers James Towey and Laura Lax in addition to paralegal officer Farhat Basir.