VIEWPOINT
HOW CHANGES TO FIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS AFFECT INSULATION
Matt Neary, National Sales Manager at Knauf Insulation
A RECENT SURVEY found that just one third of architects were aware that Approved Document B (Part B) contains the guidelines for fire safety building regulations in England and Wales. This is alarming given that they have design responsibility and suggests that other audiences, such as contractors, installers and builders who make up builders merchants’ core customer base could have even less awareness.
The regulations were updated in December 22, bringing in much stricter standards for the fire safety of buildings. The transition is swift. If a building notice, initial notice, or full plans were submitted before December 2022, projects can still be built to the previous standard providing work starts before June 2023. After that date, all projects must be built to the new standards, regardless of when planning was approved.
That’s just two months away, so merchants need to be ready to advise their customers about how they can specify insulation that complies with the new regulations.
There are three important changes that merchants need to be aware of when helping their customers select insulation products.
1.The combustible materials ban has been extended The legislation now covers residential buildings between 11m and 18m in height, but the rules differ slightly from those affecting buildings over 18m.
Non-combustible materials must be used in certain external wall system build-ups such as rainscreen façades and timber frames of residential buildings between 11m and 18m unless
a full-scale fire test to BS 8414-1 or BS 8414-2 has been conducted. In reality, these tests are so expensive and restrictive that combustible materials are effectively banned in these types of external wall systems of all relevant residential buildings over 11m tall.
This means that only insulation products with the best possible Euroclass A1 or A2-s1, d0 reaction to fire classification, such as glass or rock mineral wool, can be used without a full-scale fire test.
2.More residential buildings are covered by the ban The list of relevant residential buildings over 18m was confined to those containing one or more dwellings, rooms for residential purposes (such as student accommodation or hospitals) or an institutional building. This has now been widened with the addition of hotels, hostels and boarding houses to the list.
3. Reaction to fire classification has changed for some non- dwelling buildings Materials, such as insulation, used in the external walls of non-dwelling buildings over 18m must have a reaction to fire classification of B-s3 d2 or above. This does not apply to buildings under 18m tall.
Introducing risk As we can see, the rules are complex, so it’s important to get it right. Value engineering, in the form of product switching, is often undertaken during the construction process either to help reduce costs or to solve problems such as materials shortages.
Where combustibility is April 2023
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
Where combustibility is concerned, caution is required – merchants and distributors need to be confident that they provide advice that ensures their customers do not introduce unnecessary risk and associated liability to their projects.”
concerned, caution is required – merchants and distributors need to be confident that they provide advice that ensures their customers do not introduce unnecessary risk and associated liability to their projects. One example where risk could easily be introduced is with regards to products that form part of a system certified by a full- scale fire test for use on buildings between 11m and 18m. Full-scale fire tests only cover the system if it is installed exactly as it was in test conditions. Switching to an alternative, equivalent product will invalidate the test certificate. Merchants should also advise their customers to follow the manufacturer’s installation guidance precisely, because any deviation from the method used in the test, will mean compliance is not achieved.
But care must also be taken when it comes to switching insulation products on other building types too. Many contractors and installers assume that products within a specific category will all have the same reaction to fire classification, but that’s not true. For example, some PIR insulation can achieve a Euroclass reaction to fire classification of a B, but other products only achieve an E. The chart ranges from A1 and A2-
s1,d0 which are non-combustible, to F, the most flammable. Assuming a product has one Euroclass reaction to fire classification when it actually has lower classification not only means it may not be compliant, depending on the type of building, but could have dangerous consequences if a fire was to occur.
Promote non- combustibility at any height
The good news is, that where reaction to fire is concerned, you don’t need to have all the answers or know every detail of the building regulations. The simplest way to reduce risk and address the complex issue of fire safety is to encourage customers to use glass or rock mineral wool insulation as standard, regardless of the height or use of the building.
Not only will it meet the thermal requirements, contribute to acoustic performance and sustainability, but it will also give contractors, installers and their customers the added reassurance of non-combustibility. It has the highest Euroclass A1 or A2-s1,d0 reaction to fire classification, so can be used in every height and type of building without the need for additional testing. BMJ
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