Fire safety in UK buildings – not just residential high rises is changing. The review of fire safety and construction after the Grenfell Tower disaster has pinpointed construction failures that contributed to buildings that were simply not fit for purpose. The recommendations that come from the Hackitt enquiry addressed these issues through the whole construction process, from the initial design stages through construction to handover and ongoing occupation.
Fire Stopping has an important part to play in new fire safety regulations and practices. The BESA has identified nine ‘Golden Rules’ of fire stopping that should be followed to the letter:
1. Ensure an early engagement with fire stopping manufacturers and specialist installers.
2. Review the fire strategy documents and fire strategy plans in conjunction with the M&E specifications.
3. Identify all of the service types passing through the compartment floor or wall including any insulation products. Establish the space required to install and fire stop the services.
4. Follow the ‘Design process for penetration seals’.
5. Only select fire stopping products which are third party certified by a UKAS accredited organisation. Fire stopping products should be certified or CE marked and tested using the relevant standards.
6. Ideally select one fire stopping manufacturer throughout the project. Products from different manufacturers should not be missed in the same opening unless there is clear test evidence to substantiate their use.
7. Request copies of the third party certification from the manufacturers. These should be reviewed by a suitably qualified person to ensure the certification and field of application is relevant for the situation.
8. Ensure the installers of ALL service penetration seals are third party certified by an organisation such as FIRAS, LPCB, IFC, BM TRADA etc.
9. Implement a structured inspection plan to include photographic evidence as the work proceeds.
So what questions should you be asking on site before you start work to ensure a fully compliant Fire stopping project?
• What fire resistance integrity are you looking for eg 30 mins/60 mins?
• Do you have any specific insulation requirements?
• What is the substrate?
o Is it a wall or a floor?
o What is the substrate made of?
o What is the build-up of the substrate?
o What are the dimensions?
• What’s going through these walls, for example is it a plastic or copper pipe, cables?
• What sizes are the services?
• Is there anything exceptional about these services such as CPVC or Lagging
• Is any movement required?
The other key thing is to remember that these are engineered solutions and all work together as one system. You should not mix and match manufacturers’ products: only use products that have been tested with each other. Always ask for copies of the third party certification from the manufacturers and make the installers of ALL service penetration seals are third party certified by an accredited body like FIRAS, LPCB, IFC, BM or TRADA.
All information including test certificates, standard details, technical data sheets and safety data sheets should be placed in your COSHH file: all available online in an easy downloadable format.
Finally, remember that everything is seen: it doesn’t matter if it’s behind a lift, or the staircase, in the loft, or in the furthest corner known to man. Regulation 38 of the building regulations states that information pertaining to any fire stopping system must be made available to the principal contractor as soon as the work is complete. As a result of these regulations software which captures data about every single fire stop penetration should now be part of everyday life for a fire stopping contractor. Put simply you take a photograph of the work you’ve just installed and then the client will get to see every single detail of the fire stopping work usually in high definition in a fully detailed report.
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