Hot Work Conditions in Tradie Insurance: Plumbers, Roofers & Welders
Brazing copper, torching down a membrane, welding on site or just running an angle grinder? Your public liability policy may have rules about how you do it. Here's what hot work conditions usually say, and how to stay on the right side of them.
Hot work conditions are rules in many Australian public liability policies that apply when you use flame, heat or sparks on a job. They typically require you to clear or shield combustibles, keep a fire extinguisher within reach and stay for a fire watch after you finish. Break them and a fire claim can be declined.
Most tradies never read the hot work clause until they need it. By then it's too late. A fire caused by your work can be one of the biggest liability claims a small trade business ever faces: a house, its contents and the owners' temporary accommodation. It's also exactly the kind of claim an insurer will check against the policy conditions line by line.
This guide covers what counts as hot work, what the conditions usually require, and how they apply to plumbers, roofers, welders and a few trades that don't realise they're doing hot work at all.
What counts as hot work?
Policy wordings define hot work differently, but most definitions are broader than tradies expect. If it involves an open flame, significant heat or produces sparks, assume it could be caught.
Welding
Arc, MIG, TIG and stick welding, in the workshop or on site.
Oxy Cutting
Oxy-acetylene cutting and heating.
Brazing & Soldering
Copper pipe joints, refrigeration lines, flashings.
Torch-On Membranes
Bituminous roofing and waterproofing membranes.
Angle Grinding
Grinding and abrasive cutting throw sparks a long way.
Heat Guns
Paint stripping and some flooring and vinyl work.
The definition of "hot work" in your policy decides what's caught. If angle grinding or heat guns are part of your day, read the definition, not just the heading.
Why insurers care so much
Hot work fires rarely start while you're watching. A spark lands in sawdust inside a wall cavity. Heat travels along a copper pipe into timber framing. A bit of slag drops into a gutter full of leaves. It smoulders quietly, and the fire takes hold an hour or two after you've packed up and left.
That's why hot work conditions focus on what's around you and what happens after you stop, not just the work itself. It's also why insurers take these claims seriously: they tend to be large, and there's often a clear question about whether the conditions were followed.
What hot work conditions typically require
Every insurer writes these differently, and some policies don't have them at all. But these are the requirements that come up most often in Australian tradie and contractor liability wordings.
Clear or shield combustibles
Move flammable materials away from the work area within a set distance, or cover them with fire-resistant blankets or screens where they can't be moved. That includes insulation, timber, packaging, dust and leaf litter.
Have a suitable extinguisher within reach
A charged fire extinguisher (and sometimes a fire blanket or hose) suited to the materials around you, close enough to use straight away — not back in the van.
Keep a fire watch after you finish
Stay and check the area, including the other side of walls, ceilings and floors, for a set period after the hot work stops. The time is set by your wording — check it.
Follow site permit systems
Where a site runs a hot work permit system, many policies expect you to follow it. Commercial and industrial sites commonly won't let you start without one.
Store and handle gas safely
Cylinders secured upright, hoses and regulators in good condition, and flashback arrestors fitted where required.
Don't work in unsafe conditions
Some wordings exclude hot work carried out in contravention of any law or regulation — which brings total fire ban days into play.
Many of these line up with Australian Standard AS 1674.1 (fire precautions for welding and allied processes), which is a good reference for building your own site procedure.
Total fire ban days: a separate rule
Separate from your insurance, state fire laws restrict hot work outdoors on Total Fire Ban days. In many cases welding, cutting and grinding in the open are prohibited unless strict conditions are met or a permit is held. The rules differ by state, so check with your fire authority — CFA in Victoria, RFS in NSW, QFES in Queensland, CFS in South Australia, DFES in WA, TFS in Tasmania and the relevant services in the territories.
If you do hot work in breach of a Total Fire Ban and start a fire, you're likely facing legal penalties and a policy that may not respond. It's one of the fastest ways to turn a bad day into a business-ending one.
What happens if you don't comply?
It depends on how your policy is written. Common outcomes include:
- The claim is declined because a condition precedent to cover wasn't met.
- A higher excess applies to claims arising from hot work.
- The payout is reduced to reflect how much the breach contributed to the loss.
- There's no cover at all because hot work was excluded and never declared.
Under Australian insurance law, an insurer generally can't refuse a claim just because you breached a condition that didn't cause or contribute to the loss. But when the loss is a fire from hot work, the hot work conditions are exactly what's in question.
The 3pm Knock-Off
- 2:30pm
- Plumber brazes a copper joint inside a wall cavity on a bathroom renovation.
- 2:45pm
- No fire blanket used. Extinguisher is in the ute. Joint looks fine.
- 3:00pm
- Packs up and leaves. No fire watch.
- 5:40pm
- Smouldering framing timber ignites. Fire spreads into the roof space.
The homeowner's insurer pays out and then pursues the plumber to recover the cost. The plumber's liability insurer then looks at the hot work conditions. No shield, no extinguisher within reach, no fire watch — three separate problems for the plumber.
Hot work by trade
Here's where hot work tends to show up for different trades, and what's worth watching.
Plumbers & Gasfitters
Brazing and soldering copper in wall cavities, subfloors and roof spaces, often right next to timber framing, sarking and insulation.
Roofers & Waterproofers
Torch-on membranes, soldered flashings and grinding on roofs, where sparks can land in gutters, eaves and roof cavities.
Welders & Fabricators
Workshop fabrication and on-site welding are different risks. Insurers often rate on-site hot work more heavily.
HVAC & Refrigeration
Brazing line sets in hot, tight roof spaces full of insulation and dust.
Painters
Heat guns for stripping old paint on weatherboards, windows and eaves. It feels low-risk, but can ignite dust and debris in gaps behind boards.
Electricians & Other Trades
Grinding and cutting in existing buildings — chasing walls, cutting steel, trimming brackets.
Installing insulation near heat sources carries its own fire risk too — see our guide to insulation contractor insurance.
Hot work site checklist
A simple routine you can run on every job. It won't replace your policy wording, but it covers the conditions most insurers care about.
Before
- Check for a Total Fire Ban
- Get a site hot work permit if required
- Check the other side of walls, floors and ceilings
- Clear or shield combustibles
- Extinguisher charged and within reach
During
- Keep the extinguisher with you as you move
- Watch where sparks and slag land
- Use heat shields near framing and insulation
- Keep cylinders upright and secured
After
- Fire watch for the time your policy requires
- Re-check hidden spaces and gutters
- Feel for heat in nearby framing
- Note the finish and fire watch times
Tip: a quick timestamped photo at the end of your fire watch is useful evidence if a claim ever happens.
Getting your cover right
Hot work conditions only protect you if the insurer knows you do hot work in the first place. When you arrange public liability insurance, make sure:
- Your business description includes the hot work you actually do — brazing, welding, torch-on or grinding.
- You've told the insurer roughly how much of your work involves hot work and where it happens.
- You've read the hot work clause and know the distances and fire watch time it sets.
- Your limit suits the jobs you take on. A single house fire can be a very large claim — see what public liability costs at different limits.
Builders and principals will usually ask for a Certificate of Currency before you start. That certificate won't show your hot work conditions, so don't treat it as proof you're covered for everything.
Hot work FAQs
No, but many tradie and contractor liability policies in Australia do, particularly for trades that regularly use flame, heat or sparks. The conditions, and how strictly they apply, vary between insurers. The only way to know is to read the hot work clause in your own policy wording or ask your broker.
Often, yes. Many policy wordings define hot work broadly enough to include any process that produces sparks, which covers angle grinding and abrasive cutting. Check the definition in your wording rather than assuming it only means welding.
Many commercial and industrial sites run a hot work permit system and won't let you start without one. Some insurance policies also require you to follow any site permit system. On residential jobs there's usually no formal permit, but your policy conditions can still apply.
Generally no. A Certificate of Currency usually shows the insured, business description, policy period and limits. Hot work conditions sit in the policy wording or schedule endorsements, so check those documents.
Depending on the wording, the insurer may decline a claim arising from the hot work, apply a higher excess, or reduce what it pays. Some policies exclude hot work entirely unless it has been declared and accepted.
Usually, yes, but it needs to be declared. Insurers treat workshop fabrication and on-site welding differently, and some have limited appetite for heavy on-site hot work. Tell your broker how much of your work involves hot work and where it happens.
General advice only. This article is general in nature and doesn't take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Policy conditions vary between insurers. Cover is subject to the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions of the relevant policy. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before deciding, and follow the fire safety laws that apply in your state or territory.
Do Hot Work? Make Sure Your Cover Knows It.
Plumber, roofer, welder or fabricator — tell us what you actually do on site and we'll arrange public liability that lines up with it, fine print included.