Australia’s building boom is making fire safety harder to manage, with Gallagher warning that the risks on construction sites are becoming more complex as projects move faster and building methods change.
Gallagher said fire safety can no longer be treated as a one-off compliance task. In its view, it has become an ongoing site risk that shifts throughout a project, from design and procurement to construction and final handover.
That pressure is being driven by strong demand for housing and infrastructure, which is pushing faster project delivery and increasing the likelihood that safety risks are missed, exposing builders to legal and financial fallout. At the same time, lightweight materials, temporary electrics, and more complex designs are making fire risk harder to manage, even as rules like the National Construction Code 2022 tighten after past incidents.
Gallagher said the issue is less about the rules themselves and more about how they are applied in practice, pointing to labour and inspector shortages, weak enforcement, and gaps between design and on-site execution. It also noted cases where buildings are signed off despite known defects, with pressure to meet housing targets adding to the problem.
On site, fire risk often comes from a mix of everyday hazards that can build on each other. Hot works such as welding, cutting, and grinding remain a major concern because fires may not start immediately, with smouldering materials or hidden voids leading to ignition hours later in poorly monitored areas.
Material choices and storage conditions can raise the risk. Timber, insulation, fuels, adhesives, and solvents can all increase the fire load, particularly on crowded or fast-moving sites. Where flammable liquids or gases are stored incorrectly, the consequences can escalate quickly.
Temporary electrical systems are another recurring issue. Exposed wiring, overloaded circuits, and makeshift connections are still common on construction sites, with dust, moisture, and physical damage adding to the chance of failure.
It also highlighted lithium-ion batteries as a newer source of concern. Now widely used in cordless tools, site equipment, and e-mobility devices, battery failures can generate extreme heat, release toxic fumes, and be difficult to extinguish, creating a fire risk that some sites may not be ready for.
“For many construction projects, the challenge lies not in understanding individual requirements but in managing how they interact. Fire risk now spans design, materials, site operations and sequencing, often requiring closer collaboration between contractors, designers, fire engineers and clients and needs to be embedded into decision-making at every stage of a project,” Gallagher said.
That starts early. Gallagher said the design phase is where hazards should be identified upfront, including escape routes and material choices, while higher-risk developments may need more detailed fire safety studies. In procurement, those requirements need to be carried through clearly so contractors and consultants are chosen with fire safety in mind.
By the construction stage, fire risk assessments and management plans should be updated regularly, and systems such as hydrants need to be installed and tested in line with Australian Standards. For projects in bushfire-prone areas, it noted that AS 3959:2018 also applies.
“A safety-first culture is essential, where fire hazards are identified and mitigated from the initial design concept to the final occupied building. This approach emphasises the seamless transfer of safety information between project phases, ensuring comprehensive fire risk management throughout the lifecycle of a structure,” Gallagher said.
