All-Electric Roofing Equipment Recommended in Landmark Fire Safety Guidance

New recommendations for the use of all-electric equipment have been made by fire safety advisors, aiming to move the industry away from traditional hot works.

Imperial Thermal Engineering (ITE) has welcomed its inclusion in the newly published Safer Choices for Hot Work: Flame-Free Construction guidance from the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) Fire Safety Working Group.

The Essex-based manufacturer is behind the Eseries range of all-electric roofing equipment. ITE features in the independent guidance as an example of innovation already helping to eliminate the need for LPG gas during roofing operations.

Landmark Fire Safety Guidance

Produced by industry experts in collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the guidance encourages the construction industry to adopt safer, flame-free alternatives to traditional hot works, helping to reduce fire risk while supporting better health and safety outcomes across construction sites.

Founded and led by Jonathan Forbes-Brown, Imperial Thermal Engineering has spent more than a decade developing practical electric alternatives that improve safety, productivity and performance on site. Alongside manufacturing, the family-run business also provides equipment hire, servicing, repairs and specialist training to support contractors transitioning away from gas-powered roofing systems.

Electric Alternatives

Jonathan Forbes-Brown, Founder and MD of ITE

Jonathan Forbes-Brown, Founder and MD of Imperial Thermal Engineering, said: “To see flame-free construction formally recognised within this industry guidance is a significant milestone. We’ve always believed the safest fire is the one that can never start, and our mission has been to remove LPG gas from rooftops by providing practical, high-performance electric alternatives. Being featured in this guidance validates the work we’ve been doing for many years and reflects the wider industry’s commitment to changing the way roofing is delivered.”

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the Eseries provides a complete all-electric suite of roofing equipment, including the Etorch range for drying substrates, activating adhesives and seaming, and the Epot range for melting bitumen-based roofing compounds. By replacing traditional gas-powered equipment with flameless electric technology, the systems remove the fire risks associated with LPG while also eliminating gas-related carbon emissions from the roofing process.

ITE’s commitment to innovation has been recognised nationally, winning Construction News Best Product Innovation category for the Etorch3 in 2023, and again for the Epot Series 8 in 2025. The company is also working with major contractors, including Willmott Dixon, Sir Robert McAlpine and Wates, as they look to reduce reliance on traditional hot works and adopt safer construction methods.

Gary Walpole, Chair of the CONIAC Fire Safety Working Group, highlights the importance of this industry shift in the guidance: “The increasing adoption of flame-free methods—across roofing, mechanical systems, prefabrication and cutting—demonstrates that eliminating the cause of fires is not only possible, but achievable at scale.”

[Please see the full foreword from Gary Walpole below.]

Jonathan concluded: “The industry is reaching a tipping point. Clients and principal contractors are increasingly looking beyond managing the risks of hot works to eliminating those risks altogether. That’s exactly where the future lies. As we’ve always said at Imperial Thermal Engineering – the future is all electric.”

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