FIRE SAFETY
likelihood and consequences of potential failures, facilities managers can make informed decisions about where to focus their resources. As ever is starts with risk assessment so you can understand the issues.
Can it really apply in the health sector
where the guidance is so very specific? The answer is yes. While Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) 05-02 and 05-03 guide (new) design and operational management, HTM-05-01 Managing Healthcare Safety guidance helps with planning the appropriate fire safety management system. It allows for a risk-based approach that should permit the current statutory regulations to be applied sensibly and pragmatically. Also, in its response to the BESA public
warning about faulty installation the OPSS said it aims ‘to provide targeted, risk-based and proportionate enforcement of construction products regulations and will act fairly and firmly where product risks exist’. The 2025 Technical Bulletin from BESA (TB59) also refers to a risk-based approach. We also know risk-based maintenance planning works. A case in point is the Live Nation Cardiff Utilita Arena, a building complex nearing the end of its operational life but still very much a commercial going concern and one where public safety is a key priority. The Arena’s replacement, a new indoor venue at Cardiff’s Atlantic Wharf, is now due to open in 2026/27 some three years later than originally planned. That means that the facilities team at the existing complex have the challenge of maintaining a safe and healthy environment a lot longer than planned, and against a commercial background where there will be reduced appetite for capital investment. Working with long-term partner Airmec, the arena team have planned pragmatically for critical air, water, and fire safety services for the final years of the Arena’s life. Within that remit, replacement of fire dampers which fail inspection and testing is potentially particularly expensive, not least because so many are very difficult to access and/or would require major works to replace. Our suggested risk-based approach is achieving on- budget results without compromise on safety.
Decisions are based on risk factors such
as: l Is the damper in a system feeding a stairwell/escape route?
l If inspectors cannot get to the damper closest to the higher risk area, what is the location and status of the next damper upstream in the system and is that functioning? Do you need to install another damper?
l Are there other fire safety measures that can be taken to reduce risks i.e.
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Lack of cross checks between trades and designers.
detectors/alarm systems, escape plans?
l The risk of fire and the likely direction of fire propagation.
l The type of ductwork connected to the fire damper (some fire-resistant ductwork may not require a break- away joint)
l The likely temperature the assembly will be exposed to, given the effect of operational fire suppression systems.
l The risk of contaminants or pathogens within the ventilation systems.
l Is the fire damper otherwise installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s tested detail – as a piece of equipment is it adequately supported in line with the tested detail?
Back in 2012, the Arena team were able to extend the service life of air handling units with a planned maintenance and remediation regime. The building was then already some 20 years old and equipment failure in some air handling units (AHUs) was exposing the business to unacceptable commercial risks of having to cancel events if air exchange, temperature and humidity standards could not be maintained.
What does BESA say about risk-based maintenance? The July 2025 technical bulletin on ductwork fire damper installation that gave more advice on legacy systems (TB59) embraces the pragmatic risk- based approach. It says: ‘It is however, recognised that
occasionally the physical constraints in place around fire dampers may hamper the remedial works associated with removal and replacement of self-drilling screws. In these instances, a risk assessment shall be undertaken to determine what action should be implemented and what control measures should be adopted, together with the level of any residual risk and how it should be managed’.
Next steps You will doubtless understand by now that you need to review your asset
Sometimes it is hard to see how such obvious clashes are missed.
register to ensure that all dampers are correctly installed – and accessible – and then plan survey and remedial works as necessary. This is on top of the routine inspection and testing which should, of course, already be being done annually in healthcare premises to comply with HTM- 03. Remember, if there are no inspection hatches, there is no meaningful inspection! This is work that involves multiple skill
sets. Take time to plan the work with your specialist contractor to avoid over and under skilling. The person who can survey and report on the condition and installation of your fire damper infrastructure is not the same as the one who will typically undertake the routine inspection, testing and cleaning of dampers. Their experience and knowledge levels and hourly rates are vastly different. Do not panic or take a rushed decision: draw breath and take the opportunity to scope – and price – the work properly and fairly to all parties.
Be under no illusion: incorrectly
installed and untested and inspected fire dampers may well not perform their function of reducing the spread of fire and/or smoke in a building during a fire. You need to act, starting, at least, with a survey of how all your dampers are installed, if you do not already have that information on record. There are a lot of people involved in fire damper specification, installation, testing and maintenance but ultimately it remains the responsibility of the duty holder and the competent person appointed by them to fully consider the fire safety requirements, the level of risk that exists and the need for remedial works. Doing nothing is not an option. Step
one is to commission a review of your asset register and, if it does not reassure you that your fire dampers have been correctly fitted and maintained, then a full survey is called for. Be sure to work with specialist
contractors with a deep understanding of legal, safety and practical priorities and who can go the extra mile to help create and manage a pragmatic, risk-based plan of works. This does not have to be a big- ticket project.
IFHE IFHE DIGEST 2026
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