The 2021 International Building Code will require a Site Safety Director, employed by the building owner, to conduct and document daily construction fire safety inspections. This is only one of several new requirements approved in F263-18 and F264-18 for buildings under construction. According to the new requirements, the fire official is authorized to issue a stop work order upon repeated omissions in inspection and/or documentation of the following:

• the training qualifications of hot work contractors admitted to the site (must have received training in the hot work safety requirements of IFC Chapter 35)
• observing that hot work is performed only in pre-approved locations
• safety of temporary heating equipment
• removal of trash and debris
• safety of temporary wiring
• safe storage of flammable liquids and hazardous materials
• openness of fire access roads
• fire hydrant visibility and access
• availability of operating standpipes as construction progresses
• fire extinguisher placement

The National Fire Protection Association reports that for a five-year period from 2010 through 2014, fires at sites undergoing construction, major renovation, and demolition averaged 17% of annual fire department structure fire responses and 3.2% of annual fire losses in the U.S. For more information see https://constructionfiresafety.org/.