How Is Emerging Regulation Shaping Fire Safety In Commercial Properties?
The Grenfell enquiry recently came to a close but questions about how fire safety regulations are evolving since remain very open. Ian King, COO of fire retardant chemical technology company, Zeroignition and Peter Long, Divisional Fire & Certification Director at Optima Systems share their thoughts on how fire safety regulation has evolved in commercial buildings since the Grenfell tragedy and what facilities managers and commercial property owners must do to ensure the buildings they’re responsible for are compliant.
Ian says, “Following the tragic events of Grenfell, we have seen a renewed focus on fire safety in construction, recently spurring the royal ascension of the Building Safety Bill in April of this year. This change will tighten fire safety standards by mandating asset owners to maintain a golden thread of information and ensure responsible parties are appointed to manage fire safety standards within properties. The government has also recently introduced tighter restrictions on the use of combustible external wall materials on medium-rise buildings.
This is encouraging progress, but this is only the tip of the iceberg - there is still a long way to go. We need to go above and beyond ‘compliance’ and stop developers cutting corners and side-lining safety for financial gain. This means closely assessing the materials used in buildings, how they are assembled and what protection is in place. It’s crucial to thoroughly test how each component is used in a build and how it interacts as part of the wider system. For instance, are sprinkler sensors being blocked by obstructions, are fire retardants being used to protect the structural materials?
The crux of the fire safety issue lies in understanding building materials and how they behave in a fire. Yes, workers should be trained to cope in a fire, and fire detection systems are essential. But ultimately, to help commercial property owners and facilities managers protect lives and investments, we must increase awareness of fire safety standards and how to prevent fire rather than deal with it when it’s too late.”
Peter shares, “my one concern, as a fire and certification expert for a provider of high-end office partitioning systems, is that those in the commercial real estate industry might not be sufficiently prepared to take on the Building Safety Bill's more stringent compliance requirements. Commercial property owners and facilities managers will soon face new standards for competence, teamwork, and transparent reporting.
Unfortunately, current fire regulations for commercial buildings remain quite lenient. There is uncertainty about what constitutes adequate fire safety system management and how to get ready for the implementation of new and enhanced building and fire safety standards.
Although it's fairly easy to fall into complacency, adopting the mentality that “it'll never happen to me” is extremely unsafe. Therefore, it is imperative that all asset owners, contractors and facility managers adhere to the legislative programme as soon as possible.
In the future, it will likely be more challenging to specify office interiors, keep up with inspections, and understand fire safety ratings for things like interior doors, panels, and partitions. But to leave these systems unaddressed is unacceptable, both in terms of the financial and personal costs.
Essentially, not enough questions were being raised before Grenfell. Now, the industry needs to carefully audit every aspect of its specifications to determine whether things are being done correctly: What's the risk? How can that risk be mitigated? Do I fully understand the issues?
After more than five years, there has been a tremendous improvement in the interpretation of data, whether it comes from a direct fire test or an outside evaluation. The commercial built industry is re-evaluating the veracity of product information, and specifiers are paying more attention to the evidence offered to back up material and application certifications.
I advise going above and beyond existing building regulations when specifying office partitioning systems, in order to future-proof and assure occupant safety.”
There’s no denying there is still a lot of work to be done, and it’s down to us as an industry to drive real measurable change. Legislation is a slow burner, but there is no time to lose when it comes to saving lives. The responsibility lies with us all.
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