Comments by Richard Forrest

Richard Forrest - Lawrence Webster Forrest
Online advisor - 8 posts

The pupose of the risk assessment is to identify the fire risks and make recommendations to meet the risks. If the assessor saw hot works being undertaken by your model makers, the obvious solution (and easiest to record) is to suggest a hot work permit procedure. There are many options of free to access examples of hot work permits - just Google on the 'net'.

But if the reference is to your own model makers and their practice is controlled by your own staff, I would suggest a much more specific approach including dedicated training to those involved so that they understand the risks of the processes and materials they are working with. A HWP system is only as good as the understanding that supports the process - that's why i suggest a more specific approach.

Almost certainly from what you say some risk mitigation process is necessary.

Richard Forrest - Lawrence Webster Forrest
Online advisor - 8 posts

Dear Rebecca

Banking organisations like all other businesses that occupy premises have a degree of control over some aspects of fire safety and are subject to the requirements of fire safety law. It sounds as if the bank leases space in a multi occupancy premises and as such some of the physical fire safety arrangements are probably the responsibility of the Landlord. The bank however, has control over the management fire safety arrangements for the demise and possibly some of the physical fire precautions as well. As such you shuold have policy and procedures that ensure fire safety for the persons working within and visiting the premises.

The law requires that you assess the risk to those who may be at risk. The fire risk assessment (fully coordinated with that of the Landlord) will dictate what arrangements you should have in place to manage risk. Undoubtedly, the best way to ensure an appropriate response in the event of fire is to have concise emergency procedures, to train personnel to respond to the duties assigned in that procedure, and to practice the process by carrying out drills. this process if made explicit in a procedure, trained and practiced by drill, will meet your statutory duties.

Richard Forrest - Lawrence Webster Forrest
Online advisor - 8 posts

Hi Tony

Apart from the guidance given in the RRO guidance suite of documents you may wish to look at information relating to HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation). The definition of what type of HMO you operate is important - refer to the Housing Act 2004. There is of course a licencing process for this type of dwelling and technical guidance on fire safety standards is contained in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System Operating Guidance issued in February 2006 (ISBN: 978 1 85112 846 4). This is the reference for advice given in th Building Regulations, Approved document B

Hope this helps.

Richard Forrest

Richard Forrest - Lawrence Webster Forrest
Online advisor - 8 posts

Dear Roger

Under the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire safety) Order 2005 the Responsible Person is required to undertake fire risk assessments for those buildings over which he has control or partial control.

I would suggest that a fire risk assessment is required for the industrial estate in terms of the site itself as well as for the individual buildings that may be your responsibility or that of tenants. The site needs to be assessed with regard to broad risk issues. You need to be satisfied that the operations on the site do not pose a risk off-site to surrounding occupancies / individuals. You need to satisfy yourself regarding dangerous substances, escape routes from buildings, emergency lighting, signing, assembly, access for the fire authority, fire fighting water supply ... and so on.

As part of the assessment the lone security post should be assessed in context with the above and any other risk exposures. It may be possible if the risks are consistent across the portfolio of sites to undertake a 'generic' FRA, but caution should be exercised here.

Hope this helps

Richard Forrest - Lawrence Webster Forrest
Online advisor - 8 posts

Subject: Fire sprinkler systems

Question 1: The Building Regulations in Scotland are changing with a requirement in 2005 for sprinkler systems to be fitted to new sheltered housing and residential care homes. Are there any similar proposals under discussion for England and Wales?

Answer 1: The introduction of sprinkler systems in England and Wales within various types of buildings is increasing. The proposed new edition of Approved Document B released as a consultation document in 2005 considers the installation of sprinklers in certain residential premises and residential care homes. It is stated in this document that the revised guidance for residential care homes is based on that issued by the Scottish Building Standards Agency. A new British Standard (BS 9251) related to residential sprinklers has been released in 2005. This document is a code of practice for the installation of sprinkler systems for residential and domestic occupancies. The new BS 9999 released in 2005 as a Draft for Development promotes the effectiveness of sprinkler systems in the reduction of fire risks.

The British Research Establishment has recently (February 2004) published a survey on the effectiveness of sprinklers in residential premises.

A partnership has been created in 2000 between different authorities and associations resulting in the installation of residential sprinklers within 212 properties at Studley Green, Trowbridge, Wiltshire. In 2000, the British Standards Institution issued a Draft for Development document, DD 251 ? Sprinkler system for residential and domestic occupancies ? Code of practice. This document has then become BS 9251 as stated above.

As fire engineers we are increasingly aware of projects in which the installation of a sprinkler system is considered as a solution. Therefore, to directly answer your question: yes, there are similar proposals under discussion for England and Wales.


Question 2: Even if there are not, are we required to consider the fitting of sprinklers where there is a disproportionate lag time between alarm activation and evacuation of occupants from final exit door (more than 7 minutes)? If so does this only apply to premises we own or control, or to carry out a risk assessment and make recommendations for the fitting of sprinklers at any premises where our service users live, and we provide a service for them in their own home.

Answer 2: When we prepare fire safety strategies for a building, it is very common to meet items of non-compliance when compared to prescriptive requirements, and means of escape issues are often amongst them. The consideration of a sprinkler system to reduce the risk presented by the lag time referred to above is not an explicit requirement under legislation. The reason is that the same goal (the reduction of the risk to occupants) can be achieved by other precautions. For example, increasing the level of compartmentation within the building will reduce the risks from fire/ smoke to the occupants. The fire and smoke will be contained and it will therefore allow for a longer evacuation time. Other fire precautions involve smoke ventilation, high level of detection and alarm, good level of management, etc. When designing fire safety in a building, it is paramount that all options are given due consideration in order to provide the best level of fire safety practical to occupants, and considering the provision of sprinklers is an option that shouldn?t be neglected. To summarise, considering the installation of a sprinkler system is not always a requirement, but is however deemed to be an often worthwhile option, which benefits not only life safety aspects but also property protection issues.

Richard Forrest - Lawrence Webster Forrest
Online advisor - 8 posts

There are clear guidelines and recommendations for the maintenance and testing of fire alarm and detection equipment contained in the British Standard 5839 Pt1. The Standard does not necessarily differentiate between industrial and other environment applications. Testing of fire alarm systems can be defined under two primary areas - testing undertaken weekly by the system user, and regular maintenance and testing regimes recommended by the BS usually undertaken by a specialist contractor.

Attached is a summary document taken from the BS given principal testing requirements.

Routine testing

Recommendations for weekly testing by the user

When testing the fire detection system, there may be a need to isolate ancillary outputs.

The following recommendations apply:

a) Every week, a manual call point should be operated during normal working hours. It should be confirmed that the control equipment is capable of processing a fire alarm signal and providing an output to fire alarm sounders, and to ensure that the fire alarm signal is correctly received at any alarm receiving centre to which fire alarm signals are transmitted. It is not necessary to confirm that all fire alarm sounder circuits operate correctly at the time of this test.

b) The weekly test should be carried out at approximately the same time each week; instructions to occupants should then be that they should report any instance of poor audibility of the fire alarm signal. In systems with staged alarms incorporating an ?Alert? and an ?Evacuate? signal, the two signals should be operated, where practicable, sequentially in the order they would occur at the time of a fire (i.e. ?Alert? and then ?Evacuate?).

c) In premises in which some employees only work during hours other than that at which the fire alarm system is normally tested, an additional test(s) should be carried out at least once a month to ensure familiarity of these employees with the fire alarm signal(s).

d) A different manual call point should be used at the time of every weekly test, so that all manual call points in the building are tested in rotation over a prolonged period. There is no maximum limit for this period (e.g. in a system with 150 manual call points, the user will test each manual call point

every 150 weeks). The result of the weekly test and the identity of the manual call point used should be recorded in the system log book.

e) The duration for which any fire alarm signal is given (other than solely at control and indicating equipment) at the time of the weekly test by the user should not normally exceed one minute, so that, in the event of a fire at the time of the weekly test, occupants will be warned by the prolonged operation of the fire alarm devices.

f) Voice alarm systems should be tested weekly in accordance with the recommendations of BS 5839-8.

Recommendations for monthly attention by the user

The following recommendations apply.

a) If an automatically started emergency generator is used as part of the standby power supply, it should be started up once each month by simulation of failure of the normal power supply and operated on-load for at least one hour. The test should be carried out in accordance with the instructions of the generator manufacturer, including instructions on the load that should be operated. At the end of the test, the fuel tanks should be left filled, and the oil and coolant levels should be checked and topped up as necessary.

b) If vented batteries are used as a standby power supply, a visual inspection of the batteries and their connections should be made to ensure that they are in good condition. Action should be taken to rectify any defect, including low electrolyte level.

Inspection and servicing

Recommendation for quarterly inspection of vented batteries

All vented batteries and their connections should be examined by a person competent in battery installation and maintenance technology. Electrolyte levels should be checked and topped up as necessary.

Recommendations for periodic inspection and test of the system

Some fire detection and fire alarm systems and components claim to include features that permit functions to be automatically monitored, and faults or warnings to be annunciated, or otherwise made available to authorized persons. In cases where this is proven, the recommendations for routine testing may be modified to omit testing which is proven to be unnecessary by the equipment manufacturer, provided it can be proven that the automatic monitoring achieves the same objective as the appropriate test recommended. In the case of detectors (all types), tests should ensure that products of combustion are capable of passing unhindered from the protected area to the sensing chamber/elements of the detector and not simply test the ability of the detector to sample/verify the status of the atmosphere already in the sensing chamber.

The recommendations should be carried out by a competent person. The period between successive inspection and servicing visits should be based upon a risk assessment, taking into account the type of system installed, the environment in which it operates and other factors that may affect the long term operation of the system. The recommended period between successive inspection and servicing visits should not exceed six months. If this recommendation is not implemented, it should be considered that the system is no longer compliant with this part of BS 5839.

The following recommendations are applicable.

a) The system log book should be examined. It should be ensured that any faults recorded have received appropriate attention.

b) A visual inspection should be made to check whether structural or occupancy changes have affected the compliance of the system with the recommendations of this standard for the siting of manual call points, automatic fire detectors and fire alarm devices. Particular care should be taken to verify whether:

1) all manual call points remain unobstructed and conspicuous;

2) any new exits have been created without the provision of an adjacent manual call point;

3) any new or relocated partitions have been erected within 500 mm horizontally of any automatic fire detector;

4) any storage encroaches within 300 mm of ceilings;

5) a clear space of 500 mm is maintained below each automatic fire detector, and that the ability of the detector to receive the stimulus that it has been designed to detect has not been impeded by other means;

6) any changes to the use or occupancy of an area makes the existing types of automatic fire detector unsuitable for detection of fire or prone to unwanted alarms;

7) any building alterations or extensions require additional fire detection and alarm equipment to be

installed.

c) The records of false alarms should be checked i). The rate of false alarms during the previous 12 months should be recorded. Action taken in respect of false alarms recorded should comply with the recommendations.

d) The standby battery should be disconnected and full load alarm should be simulated.

e) Batteries and their connections should be examined and momentarily load tested with the mains disconnected (other than those within devices such as manual call points, detectors and fire alarm sounders of a radio-linked system), to ensure that they are in good serviceable condition and not likely to fail before the next service visit. Vented batteries should be examined to ensure that the specific gravity of each cell is correct.

f) The fire alarm functions of the control and indicating equipment should be checked by the operation of at least one detector or manual call point on each circuit. An entry should be made in the log book indicating which initiating devices have been used for these tests.

g) The operation of the fire alarm devices should be checked.

h) All controls and visual indicators at control and indicating equipment should be checked for correct operation.

i) The operation of any facility for automatic transmission of alarm signals to an alarm receiving centre should be checked. Where more than one form of alarm signal can be transmitted (e.g. fire and fault signals), the correct transmission of each signal should be confirmed.

j) All ancillary functions of the control and indicating equipment should be tested.

k) All fault indicators and their circuits should be checked, where practicable, by simulation of fault

conditions.

l) All printers should be tested to ensure that they operate correctly and that characters are legible. It should be ensured that all printer consumables are sufficient in quantity or condition to ensure that the printer can be expected to operate until the time of the next service visit.

m) Radio systems of all types should be serviced in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer.

n) All further checks and tests recommended by the manufacturer of the control and indicating equipment and other components of the system should be carried out.

o) On completion of the work, any outstanding defects should be reported to the responsible person, the system log book should be completed and a servicing certificate should be issued.

Recommendations for inspection and test of the system over a 12 month period

In addition to the work recommended above, it is recommended that the following work be carried out every year.

a) The switch mechanism of every manual call point should be tested, either by removal of a frangible element, insertion of a test key or operation of the device as it would be operated in the event of fire.

b) All automatic fire detectors should be examined, as far as practicable, to ensure that they have not been damaged, painted, or otherwise adversely affected. Thereafter, every detector should be functionally tested. The tests used need prove only that the detectors are connected to the system, are operational and are capable of responding to the phenomena they are designed to detect.

c) Every heat detector should be functionally tested by means of a suitable heat source, unless operation of the detector in this manner would then necessitate replacement of part or all of the sensing element (e.g. as in fusible link point detectors or non-integrating line detectors). Special test arrangements will be required for fusible link heat detectors. The heat source should not have the potential to ignite a fire; live flame should not be used, and special equipment might be necessary in explosive atmospheres.

d) Point smoke detectors should be functionally tested by a method that confirms that smoke can enter the detector chamber and produce a fire alarm signal (e.g. by use of apparatus that generates simulated smoke or suitable aerosols around the detector). It should be ensured that the material used does not cause damage to, or affect the subsequent performance of, the detector; the manufacturer?s guidance on suitable materials should be followed.

e) Optical beam smoke detectors should be functionally tested by introducing signal attenuation between the transmitter and receiver, either by use of an optical filter, smoke or simulated smoke.

f) Aspirating fire detection systems should be functionally tested by a method that confirms that smoke can enter the detector chamber and produce a fire alarm signal. It should be ensured that the material used does not cause damage to or affect the subsequent performance of the detectors; the manufacturer?s guidance on suitable materials should be followed. Furthermore, appropriate testing should be performed to verify that smoke is able to enter each sampling point (or collection of sampling points that are recommended by the manufacturer to cover the same area as a point smoke detector). This can be achieved by introducing smoke into each sampling point in turn and verifying a response at the detector. However, where access is restricted or other site conditions prevent this, other verification techniques should be employed such as:

· verifying transport time from furthest hole or a dedicated test point and comparing with previously recorded results to identify deviations;

· confirming that the flow monitoring is capable of detecting loss of a single sampling point (or collection of sampling points that are deemed to be acceptable for the risks involved;

· inspection of flow readings and comparing with previously recorded results to identify deviations which would indicate a loss of detection performance;

· measurement of the pressure at each sampling point and comparing with previously recorded results to identify deviations which would indicate a loss of detection performance.

The technique used is dependent on the particular features of the ASD technology, the risk and details of the specific application. Such techniques may also be supported by visual inspection of sampling points where this is possible but it is essential to verify that adequate detection performance is maintained. Details of the techniques used should be recorded and agreed with all parties.

g) Carbon monoxide fire detectors should be functionally tested by a method that confirms that carbon monoxide can enter the detector chamber and produce a fire alarm signal (e.g. by use of apparatus that generates carbon monoxide or a gas that has a similar effect on the electro-chemical cell as carbon monoxide).

h) Flame detectors should be functionally tested by a method that confirms that the detector will respond to a suitable frequency of radiation and produce a fire alarm signal. The guidance of the manufacturer on testing of detectors should be followed.

i) In fire detection systems that enable analogue values to be determined at the control and indicating equipment, it should be confirmed that each analogue value is within the range specified by the manufacturer.

j) Multi-sensor detectors should be operated by a method that confirms that products of combustion in the vicinity of the detector can reach the sensors and that a fire signal can be produced as appropriate. The guidance of the manufacturer on the manner in which the detector can be functionally tested effectively should be followed.

k) All fire alarm devices should be checked for correct operation. It should be confirmed that visual fire alarm devices are not obstructed from view and that their lenses are clean.

l) All unmonitored, permanently illuminated filament lamp indicators at control and indicating

equipment should be replaced.

m) Radio signal strengths in radio-linked systems should be checked for adequacy.

n) A visual inspection should be made to confirm that all readily accessible cable fixings are secure and undamaged.

o) The cause and effect programme should be confirmed as being correct.

p) The standby power supply capacity should be checked to establish it remains suitable for continued service.

q) All further annual checks and tests recommended by the manufacturer of the control and indicating equipment and other components of the system should be carried out.

On completion of the work, any outstanding defects should be reported to the responsible person and a record of the inspection and test should be made on the servicing certificate.

Richard Forrest - Lawrence Webster Forrest
Online advisor - 8 posts

Hello Julie

Detailed guidance relating to the maximum dimensions for the rise of a step for buildings other than dwellings (e.g. institutional and places of assembly) can be found in both Building Regulations: Approved Documents K & M (Protection from falling, collision and impact & Access to and use of buildings respectively).

Section 1, Table 1 of Approved Document K states: Maximum Rise of step should be no more than 180mm

Section 1 - 5, Diagram 6 of Approved Document M states: Maximum Rise of step should be between 150mm & 170mm. However, where due to dimensional constraints, the case for a different rise must be argued in the Disabled Access Statement for the premises.

Also, any projection of a step nosing over the tread below should be avoided if at all possible. If a projection is necessary then the projection must not exceed 25mm. There are many other detailed requirements detailed within Approved Document M relating to the provision of steps, handrails and adjacent landings that should not be overlooked.

It should also be noted that in relation to stepped access arrangements, where there appears to be a conflict between the guidance in Approved Document K & Approved Document M, Approved Document M takes precedence (see notes to the requirements).