FIRE SAFETY Disruption is expensive, and minimising
it is site-specific, and a factor of the expertise of contractors and their ability to work collaboratively and flexibly with healthcare estates teams. It is very unlikely that many Trusts are
not aware of the issues surrounding fire damper inspection; what is in doubt is whether the risk is rated highly enough. To remind you: every fire damper must be inspected, cleaned, and performance tested at least annually. If your in-house or contractor team cannot access the fire dampers to do that, you will be in breach of established guidance, and potentially in contravention of Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, thereby putting patients, visitors, and staff, at risk in the event of a fire.
Ready access to clean ducts and test fire dampers is essential.
be a prioritised plan of action, and serious consideration of how high a risk this is considered to be, and a longer-term view on the costs. We have no axe to grind on original design and specification; only how we deal with the consequences. Our interest is in helping estates professionals, especially those with older buildings, to comply with HTM 03 Part B, Specialised ventilation for healthcare premises: The management, operation, maintenance and routine testing of existing healthcare ventilation systems. It applies to all ventilation systems installed in healthcare premises irrespective of the age of the installation, and should be considered as the standard to be achieved. Understandably, a Trust is likely to have an initial focus on ventilation systems for perceived high-risk areas, but HTM 03- 01’s ‘Must’, ‘Should’, and ‘May’ provisions apply throughout the premises. In our view, the risk of fire dampers that cannot be inspected and tested, coupled with ventilation ducts that are not accessible to be thoroughly cleaned, should always be categorised as high, and the only answer is to invest in fixing the problem.
Project management Our intention is not to create tension between Estates and Finance Managers, or extra work for the Estates team. We simply want to stress that poor access increases both the risk of fire and smoke spread, and just makes it harder, if not impossible, for you to meet your statutory obligations. It cannot be ‘parked’ on the risk register. Bed occupancy (pre-COVID) was running at over 90%, according to the King’s Fund: that may be a very crude measure of NHS pressure, but it gives an indication of the impracticality of shutting whole areas down for annual inspection and maintenance for any longer than necessary, just because no one can get to the equipment in question.
66 Health Estate Journal November 2022
Even a relatively small – in NHS terms – remediation project we undertook just recently involved 38 days of work to provide access to around 500 fire dampers. We all understand the need for
pragmatism. Some of the revised HTM 03 guidance on ventilation, like fitting sinks and drainage in plant rooms so drip trays can be cleaned easily, could mean major works and shutdown – not least because these rooms often have a solid concrete ground floor or basement floors. However, fixing the fire damper access problem is a generally a relatively easy job, and addresses a very real issue once and for all. The work involved is usually not complex, and with the right competencies can be delivered and managed in much the same way as the routine, ongoing maintenance.
Key steps Like most projects, step 1 is a survey to locate, inspect, and assess the dampers, and provide a full inventory of all installed fire and smoke dampers, with their locations (ideally including a plan), which includes the type and size of damper. That enables Trusts to keep critical spares to avoid delays in future repairs that would call for a review of the fire risk assessment. It’s also the starting point for maintaining a comprehensive record of maintenance work, which should be photographic, and highlighting any damper locations that cannot be reached until inspection hatches are installed. It’s important to ensure that testing and maintenance are completed by a competent person. Competency is defined, perhaps rather loosely, as someone with sufficient training, knowledge, and experience, to complete the task. How long is a piece of string? It comes down to your choice of contractor, and the experience and knowledge they can demonstrate.
References 1 Estates and Facilities Alert DH/2014/003: Reminder for the testing of fire & smoke dampers and ensuring the integrity of fire stopping. Department of Health, Issued 21 October 2014.
2 Lack of capital funding risking patient safety and impeding waiting list recovery: new poll of NHS leaders. NHS Confederation press release, 14 June 2022.
3 IHEEM fire Safety Technical Platform – Library of Technical Guidance: No 3. Maintenance, Fire/Smoke Dampers.
https://tinyurl.com/pc85u2cc
Andrew Steel
Andrew Steel has been working in clean air technology for 30 years – for the past decade as managing director at independent ventilation, air, and water hygiene specialist, Airmec Essential Services. He has established Airmec as a trusted provider of air and water safety and compliance services, including fire damper inspection and remediation, in the healthcare sector, and for government high security sites. Airmec also seeks to apply the disciplines and benefits of the holistic approach adopted in the healthcare sector to its work with private clients.
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