The Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005
On October 1 the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005 came into force - the biggest overhaul of fire legislation in decades. The government says the new rules are being introduced to make fire safety law easier to understand. They will replace some 70 separate pieces of existing legislation with a new regime focussed on preventing fires happening in the first place.
Responsibility for fire safety
Essentially the new legislation imposes duties upon all those responsible for any premises where people gather - and that includes nearly every type of building, except for private homes and individual flats in a block or house, (although, even in multi-occupancy residential properties, communal areas will be covered).
From October 1 the responsibility for fire safety lies with employers, self-employed people (with premises separate from their homes), voluntary organisations, those responsible for buildings with public access, and importantly, any contractor who exercises a degree of control over any premises, including the installation of any fire safety products. It will also cover any person or organisation offering advice on fire safety matters.
Fire authorities will no longer issue fire certificates and those previously in force will have no legal status, although existing ones can be used as a starting point for any fire risk assessment.
Managing fire risk
Those deemed to be 'responsible persons' must manage any fire risk in their premises. They will have to take all reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and make sure people can safely escape if it occurs on the premises. This duty of care extends to everyone who uses their premises and also to those in the immediate vicinity who might be at risk in case of fire.
An immediate impact of the legislation is that those 'responsible persons' must have completed fire safety risk assessments of their premises by October 1. The assessments should pay particular attention to those at special risk, such as the disabled, the infirm, those with special needs, children and parents with babies.
Improving fire safety of buildings
So, literally millions of fire safety risk assessments will need to be to be carried out, in all manner of premises, across England and Wales. It is surely inevitable that many different types of refurbishment work will need to be carried out as a direct result, as those responsible for the premises try to bring them up to required standards. To help in the process the Government has published a series of guides, available from the Department of Communities & Local Government website (www.communities.gov.uk), outlining the issues to look for and how to carry out and document your risk assessment.
Flame retardant coatings
One of the most well-established ways of improving fire safety in buildings of all types is to protect interior wall and ceiling surfaces with decorative flame retardant coatings which help protect bare and previously painted surfaces from combustion and arrest the spread of fire.
How do they work? All fires need fuel, heat and oxygen to stay alight. Traditional or conventional paint coatings are a significant source of fuel, regardless of type, and even when dry. When subject to heat from fire, however flame retardant coatings work by releasing a heavy non-combustible gas that helps to eliminate oxygen from the protected surface and thereby restricts the spread of the flame.
Flame retardent coatings systems can buy extra time for occupants of burning buildings to escape: time that can mean the difference between life and death. They can also help to limit the physical damage to a building prior to the arrival of the firefighters.
Other changes to the legislative framework relating to fire safety
Contractors who are used to applying fire retardant coatings will be aware of the way walls and ceilings are classified in relation to their performance in the event of fire. Classes 0—4 define the level of fire protection offered, with Class 0 denoting the very highest leve.Well, all
this is about to change as a result of completely separate moves, this time emanating from Europe.
| Current UK Classification European Classification | European Classification |
|---|---|
Non-Combustible |
A1 |
Limited Combustbility |
A2 |
Class 0 |
B |
Class 1 |
C |
Class 2 |
n/a |
Class 3 |
D |
Class 4 |
n/a |
TP (b) |
E |
In line with European Council's Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC (CPD), a new classification system is to be introduced — the new 'Euroclasses' will be Al, A2, B, C, D and E. The correlation between UK and EN fire test ratings is as shown below:
Testing times
The main purpose of the Directive has not been to reclassify the way we assess our walls and ceilings. Its key thrust has been to unify the methods by which the fire test performance of products (as well as five other essential requirements) is evaluated throughout the European Community. Flame retardant paint is just one of many different product areas covered by the Directive.
The CPD has introduced a raft of completely new fire test methods which will be adopted by all EC Member States. These tests are dramatically different from the methods manufacturers currently have to use to assess the fire retardancy of coatings.
If you require any assistance with complying with the new fire safety rules through the use of flame retardent coatings then please contact either Elizebeth Hankinson or Sylvia Dixon on 0870 789 2020