Topic

Fire safety

Fire safety standards are very important for all industries. Our fire standards provide valuable guidance in areas from building design to engineering. They ensure that your organization is in compliance with fire safety regulations, managing fire risk, and helping to save lives through best practices.

Championing fire safety with standards

Learn how standards help organizations protect people and ensure compliance

The role of fire safety engineering standards
Article

The role of fire safety engineering standards

Fire safety engineering (FSE) is about taking the total fire risk management of a building into account and designing accordingly. It’s seen as an alternative approach to fire safety in buildings but is one that is now well established. For many buildings, the recommendations in existing design standards, such as BS 9991 and BS 9999, will suffice. However, FSE is credited as being an approach that can often offer more fundamental, bespoke, safer, and economical solutions than more generic approaches to fire safety. Also, in some cases where large, complex, and unique buildings are contemplated, it’s seen as the only viable means of achieving a satisfactory standard of fire safety. To learn how standards can help you comply with fire health and safety regulations, click here. Fire safety engineering principles FSE applies scientific and engineering principles as well as expert judgment based on an understanding of the phenomena and effects of fire, and the reaction of people. FSE practitioners, therefore, need to have a holistic understanding of how fire systems, structures, and people respond to fire. Fire safety engineers can then create infrastructures that are inherently safe and at the same time meet the needs of clients, architects, and fire safety regulators. That brings us to fire safety engineering design – the subject of standard BS 7974. How does standard BS 7974 help organizations? BS 7974 was first published in 2001. It supplies a framework that lets users apply fire safety engineering principles to building design and is used to develop and assess fire safety engineered proposals. The standard describes the philosophy that underpins fire safety engineering and outlines the basis involved. It provides a means of establishing acceptable levels of fire safety without imposing unnecessary constraints on aspects of building design. It allows the effect of departures from design codes to be evaluated. The standard also recognizes that functional objectives can be achieved by a range of alternative and complementary fire protection strategies. It aims to facilitate innovation in design without compromising safety. For users, the standard gives designers a disciplined approach to fire safety design; it allows safety levels of specific designs to be assessed and quantified where appropriate, and it allows the safety levels for alternative designs to be compared. The standard’s framework also provides a basis for the selection of appropriate fire protection systems and information on the management of fire safety for a building. 2019 saw the first revision of BS 7974 in 18 years. BS 7974:2019 Application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of buildings. Code of practice is not a big departure from the 2001 version, but some important changes were made. First, for ease of handling, the recommendations that were previously found in PD 7974-0 and PD 7974-8 have now been incorporated into the British Standard, meaning that those two PDs are now withdrawn. Second, and most importantly, this revision puts a greater emphasis on the competence of fire engineers. Also, additional recommendations have been introduced covering quality assurance and verification of fire engineering reports. Finally, the drafting committee took this opportunity to simplify and consolidate the terminology used in the standard. It’s important to note that the underlying process of fire engineering based on the qualitative design review has not changed, but every effort has been made to ensure the terms used to describe the process are consistent throughout the standard. In addition, four of the Published Document series (PDs) – Parts 1, 2, 6, and 7 – have also been fully revised and updated in line with current thinking, technological advances, and changes to BS 7974 and other parts of the PD 7974 series. The hope is that BS 7974 and its PDs will now provide robust support to FSE practice for many more years to come. What is the published document series? Fire is a complex phenomenon and there are still gaps in our knowledge of it. However, the intention is that when used by suitably qualified persons experienced in fire safety engineering, the PD 7974 series of Published Documents can provide a means of establishing adequate levels of fire safety economically without imposing unnecessary constraints on aspects of building design. BS 7974 is supported by the PD 7974 series: currently, seven published documents that contain guidance and information on how to do a detailed analysis of specific aspects of fire safety engineering in buildings. The intention is that each summarizes the “state-of-the-art” in its area, and is updated as new theories, calculation methods or data become available.  The series comprises: Part 1: Initiation and development of fire within the enclosure of origin Part 2: Spread of smoke and toxic gases within and beyond the enclosure of origin Part 3: Structural response and fire spread beyond the enclosure of origin Part 4: Detection of fire and activation of fire protection systems Part 5: Fire service intervention Part 6: Evacuation Part 7: Probabilistic fire risk assessment The BS is used to identify and define one (or more) fire safety design issue(s) to be tackled via FSE. The appropriate PD is then used to set specific acceptance criteria and undertake a detailed analysis. Add this Published Document Series and standard BS 7974 to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge Want to access and manage the standards you need to support your management of fire safety risks - all in one place? With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the essential standards you need in order to work with confidence and comply to fire safety regulations. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to our GBM08 Fire, Accident & Crime Protection module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.Read more
Improving organizational fire safety risk management systems: A new standard
Article

Improving organizational fire safety risk management systems: A new standard

Fire safety is an ongoing process, not a box to be ticked. Fire risk management (FRM) is not just about meeting minimum fire safety standards; it is about developing a strategic approach that integrates with other management systems and is suited to the size, structure, and nature of the organization. The Fire Safety Act 2021 recently became law, clarifying responsibilities for tasks such as inspecting cladding, fire doors, and other parts of multiple-occupancy residential properties. This is one of several regulatory changes aimed at improving fire safety in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017. The standard BS 9997:2019 Fire risk management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, also aims to assist with fire safety. The fire safety standard sets out key principles and a methodology for fire safety risk management systems. Poor Fire Safety Causes Unnecessary Deaths: A Case Study The Grenfell fire in June 2017 killed 72 people when the blaze spread to the external cladding of the London tower block. It has been alleged that multiple parties, including the cladding manufacturers, building managers, building consultants, and fire safety consultants, failed to give the safety of the tower cladding proper consideration. A recent prosecution found that student accommodation in Trinity Halls, Woodhouse Street, Leeds fell far short of fire safety standards. The contractors that built, managed, and let the facilities were found guilty of four breaches of law, including failing to make a suitable and sufficient fire assessment. They were fined a total of £670,000. The property was found to have wholly inadequate fire safety (with some students more than twice the recommended distance from a fire exit), inadequate fire alarms, and only one available fire escape for 27 students. The presiding judge said the building had 'potential for catastrophe'. Not Just About Personal Safety The risk to human life is, rightly, the paramount concern where fire safety is concerned. However, this is not the only reason why fire safety management matters. Business continuity, protection of assets such as premises, and environmental and social objectives are also important. FRM systems encourage organizations to consider the full scope of risk to people, property, and the environment. To learn more about fire safety in commercial buildings, click here. Strengthening Accountability with Fire Safety Standards One of the key elements that emerged from the Grenfell Tower disaster is the lack of accountability in the construction and management of buildings. A 2017 review found that principal designers and contractors should have a critical role in embedding fire safety standards throughout the construction process. BS 9997:2019 is designed to improve accountability and create a paper trail so that fire safety considerations can be tracked and monitored. The ideal is a clear, traceable pathway of information throughout the design and construction process. Plan, Do, Check, Act The standard is intended to complement other BS 999X standards in using a 'plan, do, check, act' model for implementing, maintaining, and improving an FRM system. The model is intended to assist with continuous improvement through establishing objectives, implementing processes, monitoring and measuring processes, and taking actions to improve FRM. Who Can Use BS 9997:2019? The standard is intended for use by organizations of various types, whether working across multiple sites, separate management divisions of an organization, or a single organization working from individual premises. It can be used by fire managers, risk managers, compliance managers, landlords, and, servicing companies, as well as fire and rescue services and fire risk assessors, and any other parties with an interest in organizational governance, risk, and compliance. A Fire Standard to Replace PAS 7:2013 The fire safety standard takes the place of the now withdrawn PAS 7:2013. With added detail, the British Standard also features an annex that cross-maps its requirements with legal requirements in different parts of the UK. It also gives guidance on the use of the document. Want to access and manage the standards you need to support your management of fire safety risks - all in one place? With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the key standards you need in order to work with confidence and comply to fire safety regulations. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to our GBM08 Fire, Accident & Crime Protection module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more. To ensure your organization is operating to fire safety best practices, add standard BS 9997:2019 to your collection today.

Key Fire Safety Standards

Browse or Search our Fire Standards Catalogue

Trending Topics in Fire Safety

Fire safety solution packs