Lifecycle safety
to ensure that adequate and appropriate fire safety measures are in place to minimise the risk of injury or loss of life in the event of a fire. The starting point here lies with the architect, and then the specifier, for recommending the most suitable products and the standards they must reach. Responsibility cascades through the supply chain to the manufacturer, product installer, auditors of quality and safety, and building sign off. It is important that the project design team
factors in the fire engineer or consultant earlier rather than later, as this is where problems can emerge. If the fire engineer is called in to assess fire safety when the project is at an advanced stage, and the solution has to be retrofitted, this can be costly and indeed could be too late.
Fire design
Working with the steel fabricator and the project team, the fire protection measures – as with other safety measures – can be developed effectively early in the development of the design, taking into consideration the material and the requirements according to structural design, and the fire design and other parts of it such as cellular beams. Depending on preference, the fire protection
contractor may be considering on or off site application, so this also should be considered in terms of how the process of fire safety measures may be affected.
Decisions should be made early in the
process about how the compartmentation for fire safety will affect detailing for the application of specialist fire coatings, as well as any attachments that may be required and the specialist manufacturers (suppliers) need to be consulted in this process.
Level of compliance
Running in parallel, the issue of insurance should be addressed. Has the insurer been consulted at the appropriate milestones in the development, and has all relevant information been provided for them? In making sure that the local fire and rescue service has been kept informed of the project’s fire design, it is recommended that the specification and materials for the fire safety officer to approve for reasons of access are provided as early as possible. In addition, local authority building control should be consulted at the most relevant stages. Before handing over to the owner or
manager, it is necessary to check that the development delivers what they expected, and that the design and specification meet the required level of compliance through the process, with all necessary certificates and approvals. In recent years, and particularly over the
past five to 10 years, the UK steel construction industry for medium and high rise buildings has evolved rapidly. It is now commonplace
FOCUS
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