With combustible material and oxygen present, only one thing is missing to create fire: an ignition source. Hot work is any operation that involves an open flame or produces heat and/or sparks, including torch and radial saw cutting, grinding, brazing, soldering, welding and torch-applied roofing. The ignition sources associated with these operations are easily capable of igniting most combustible or flammable materials found within a facility.
The goal of a hot work management program is to prevent hot work ignition sources from contacting combustible or flammable materials. An argument can be made that any hot work fire, even those detected and extinguished during the post-work fire watch and / or fire monitoring period is a failure of the hot workmanagement program due to the inability to control both fuel and hot work igni-tion sources.