Updated damper guidance critical to fi re safety push
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has published a fully revised version of its long-established industry guidance DW145 ‘Installation of Fire Dampers and Smoke Dampers’.
T
he publication is the latest development in the Association’s campaign to improve building safety standards in the wake of
the Grenfell Tower disaster. It also follows the warning it issued last year that annual maintenance inspections were uncovering a signifi cant number of incorrectly installed dampers that did not comply with manufacturers’ instructions. DW 145 covers statutory requirements for the installation, testing and maintenance of fi re dampers and smoke control dampers including clients’ legal obligations to ensure their fi re safety systems comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for England and Wales and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The publication entitled: ‘DW145 – Fire Dampers (E/EI) and Leakage Guide to Good Practice for Installation, Design and Selection, Inspection and Maintenance’, also explains the crucial role played by the penetration seal in ensuring the overall fi re
stopping integrity of an installation. It also covers other critical issues including maintenance teams being able to easily fi nd and access dampers for testing and repair, and why designers and installers should seek expert advice from manufacturers.
Priority
Revising this guidance was identifi ed as a priority by the Association in the wake of the Grenfell Tower public inquiry because of the important part dampers play in overall building fi re safety strategies. “Since the Grenfell Tower disaster the building services industry has, quite rightly, faced increasingly intensive scrutiny,” said Kevin Morrissey, chair of BESA’s technical committee. “As a result, the Association has been urgently reviewing its technical guidance and supporting this work with the provision of targeted training to
ensure everyone involved in the design, installation and maintenance of fi re dampers and smoke dampers is aware of what is needed to keep people and property safe. “Unsurprisingly, UK fi re authorities are taking an in-depth interest in this aspect of building safety and clients are now more aware of their legal and moral obligations. This, in turn, places greater pressure on damper and ductwork contractors to provide evidence of their competence and ability to comply with legislation,” added Morrissey. As a result, the revisions to DW145 clarify several
critical fi re safety issues including the importance of systems being designed to allow easy access so maintenance teams can carry out testing, fault fi nding investigations and repairs. It also highlights the need for care and
consideration throughout the specifi cation and installation works, and that, if in doubt, designers and installers should seek expert advice.
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December 2024 08/04/2024 16:47:01 22/11/24 09:34 9
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