A new amendment to the tenth edition of the Joint Code of Practice (JCoP) on the Protection from Fire of Construction Sites and Buildings Undergoing Renovation has been released
Published by the FPA and produced by RISCAuthority with the support of the Association of British Insurers, National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, Contractors Legal Group, and Construction Industry Publications, the Code was first released in 1992.
Its objective is the prevention of fire on construction sites. As the Code states: “The majority of fires can be prevented by designing out risks, taking simple precautions, and by adopting safe working practices.”
Applying to activities carried out prior to and during the procurement, construction, and design process, the Code contains a series of measures that, if adopted, will ensure that adequate detection and prevention measures are incorporated during the design and planning stages, and that work on a site is undertaken to the highest standard of fire safety, thereby affording the maximum level of protection to the building and its occupants.
The Code was revised in 2022 (tenth edition) to address not only long-standing risks such as hot work, but also reflect changes in standards, practice, and the more prevalent use of modern materials and construction methods. Amendment 1, released in January 2023, saw updates to the definitions used in the Code and the sections relating to the construction phase, temporary buildings and temporary accommodation, electric vehicle charging, high rise construction sites, and large timber frame structures.
Amendment 2
In May 2025, the following updates to section 13, Temporary buildings and temporary accommodation, of the Code were made and constitute Amendment 2:
13.3 Wording and requirement clarified.
13.3(a) Revised to address requirements in circumstances where temporary buildings are sited above the site or highway.
13.3(b) New clause introduced referencing LPCB LPS 1195 (full scale cabin/module testing) as an alternative option to existing requirement to testing elements individually.
13.3(e) Removed as redundant.
13.3(f) Revised to offer an alternative approach to the provision of automatic self-closing devices on doors and windows in certain circumstances. References to shutters also added.
13.3 Penultimate paragraph drawn into lettered list at (k).
13.6 Revised to address the specific fire resistance requirements of supporting members when temporary buildings are stacked
A list of the alterations that form Amendment 2 is on page 7 of the Code.
Technical Director for the FPA, George Edwardes, said: “We are pleased to be releasing this updated edition of the Joint Code of Practice for fire prevention on construction sites. The changes in this amendment are in response to feedback received from industry and we hope they will help users ensure adequate detection and prevention measures are in place across construction sites and in buildings undergoing refurbishment.”
You can access the tenth edition of the Code, incorporating amendments 1 and 2, here.