The fire sector and construction industry have called for changes to fire safety regulations to ensure greater clarity for the sector…
The language used in the current Building Regulations and Guidance in Approved Document B is so obscure it is creating unnecessary confusion, according to two leading organisations.
The Fire Sector Federation (FSF) and the Construction Industry Council (CIC) are calling for changes to the document following a study, which found 92 per cent of members thought changes were needed. Additionally, more than half of the CIC found the Guidance in Approved Document B is difficult to use, while 100 per cent said there was a need to address the inconsistencies in building definitions.
The FSF’s Built Environment Issues and Affairs Workstream led the study. Members including associations, trade unions, architects, engineers, and building control officers in the fire and rescue services were questioned from both the FSF and the CIC. The survey covered the clarity of wording, how user friendly the documentation is, and how it adapts to construction trends.
Chair of the Built Environment Issues and Affairs Workstream Celestine Cheong said: “The Federation is founded on acceptance that fire safety in the UK is far wider than the Fire and Rescue Service alone because emergency firefighting is a measure implemented when safety features and protection has failed, and we need to remove this eventuality as much as possible.
“We understand the pressures on Government and we would like to help resolve issues pertaining to fire.
“Having identified areas in this study such as the research underpinning the Guidance being out of date, complex wording and the Guidance’s limited applied scope, we wish to work with Government to develop further opinion on an agreed frequency of updates, idea generation with relevant stakeholders for improved clarity of text, and to develop opportunities to minimise risks and impacts from fire to property, the wider built and other environments.”
Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Council Graham Watts also commented. He said: “As best practice and new technology evolves, it is essential that Building Regulations and Guidance Documents are aligned with these new developments, that they are clear in their meaning and easy to use.
“This necessitates a regular need for review to ensure relevance. A review of Approved Document B is long overdue.
“I welcome the findings of this study in drawing attention to problems that are challenging FSF and CIC members and may be compromising fire safety in our built environment.”
The last time the Building Regulations and its Guidance in Approved Document B underwent review was in 2006. This differs considerably from Guidance documents Part L, which relates to the conservation of fuel and power, and Part Q, which covers security—both of which are reviewed every two years.