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FIRE SAFETY
COMMITMENTS TO BE
MORE RIGOROUSLY
ENFORCED ANDREW SHANKLAND, MANAGING DIRECTOR, LINEAR BUILDING COMPLIANCE
In recent years, fire safety has taken centre
stage in the construction industry for all the
wrong reasons. Following the tragic Grenfell
Tower fire in 2017, and the subsequent Hackett
Review, the focus on fire safety measures
and individual responsibilities are set to be
overhauled as we build on the learnings and
recommendations from this terrible incident.
For some time, we have been calling on
building owners and managers to act and adopt
54 FEBRUARY 2022
a new mindset to ensure they are meeting their
responsibilities in relation to Fire Safety. The time
is right to act in advance of the new guidance
which will form the basis of the Building Safety
Bill, anticipated to become law soon and change
the face of the UK construction industry. The clear
message here is that it is no longer acceptable to cut
corners or pay lip service to regulations, as lives are
truly at stake.
Our experience teaches us the importance of
e ective compartmentation
of a building. This is the very
bedrock of fire safety and one
of the important facets of this
compartmentation is provision of
fire doors. These should not be
treated as normal doors as they
are vital elements of lifesaving
equipment. A fire door set can
also assist in stopping the spread
of fire to other areas of a building.
As such, it is paramount to ensure
all fire doors are installed and
maintained in compliance with
the manufacturer’s instructions, in
order to save lives and minimise
damage in the event of a fire. The
ability for fire doors to make a
material di erence to the outcome
of a fire cannot, and should not,
be underestimated.
Looking ahead to the new
proposed legislation, this will
make it a legal requirement
that all fire doors are installed
and maintained in line with
manufacturers’ guidance. So, in
short this will put the onus on the
building owner or manager to
ensure that any installation or maintenance must
be carried out by fully qualified, third-party certified
installers, being legally enforceable, any failure to
do this leaves building owners/managers open to
criminal prosecution.
The simple way to minimise any risks, and avoid
potential prosecution, is to ensure your fire doors
and fire compartmentations are inspected and
maintained by a reputable third-party certified
installer, thus showing due diligence, and
preventing possible future litigation.
Sadly, our experience shows us that there are
still significant numbers of poorly installed fire
doors and ine icient compartmentation measures
within the current built environment, o‚ en in newly
built premises. It is also worrying to consistently
see many building owners and managers still
failing in their duty to carry out competent Fire
Risk Assessments in their premises with those that
do them, o‚ en ignoring the recommendations
contained within the reports.
At Linear Building Compliance we have adopted
a dedicated and comprehensive approach to
the provision of expert solutions covering fire
compartmentation, fire doors to ensure compliance.
Early engagement and collaboration are the keys to
the most successful outcome, once again we would
call upon the industry to act now and make changes
ahead of legal enforcement, as it may protect your
reputation, protect from potential prosecution but
most importantly save lives.
https://linearuk.com/linear-building-compliance LBCenquiries@linearuk.com
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