THIRD PARTY accreditation was, once again, the topic of keen discussion at the FPA Infozone, as delegates were treated to a presentation on registration of fire risk assessors from Chris Richards, president of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM).
Mr Richards first set the topic within the context of legislative developments, explaining to delegates that since the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) there had been several cases in which consultants providing fire safety assessments and guidance had found themselves prosecuted on account of the poor advice they had delivered.
According to Mr Richards, there is no appetite yet to make registration of fire risk assessors mandatory. However, in the wake of high-profile cases in which poor fire safety advice had been provided, a competency framework for fire risk assessors was produced to try to pin down what competency should look like for consultants carrying out this type of work.
Taking delegates through one of the main third party certification schemes, Warrington FRACS, Mr Richards outlined that to achieve this standard, fire risk assessors will be expected to have working knowledge of relevant legislation and guides on which they can justify the decisions and advice they give to their clients. They will also be expected to understand the risk of fire – what is the chance of a fire breaking out in a particular situation? What are the potential causes of fire? And what do they need to do to manage the risk? Understanding that there are standards for different areas and knowing where to look for relevant information to back up the advice is also important, said Mr Richards, as is having in place a consistent methodology to undertake fire risk assessments, so that they can be easily understood by enforcement officers and responsible persons.
FRACS certification
Stressing the intensity of the application process for third party certification of FRACS, Mr Richards explained that individuals will be required to submit two formal references for completed fire risk assessments. There is also a technical assessment, which comprises an interview in which applicants will be challenged on their knowledge of the legislation, their processes, the methodology they use, and possible solutions for certain situations. Applicants are also required to carry out a floor-plan exercise to test their knowledge further.
Despite its intensity, Mr Richards was quick to highlight that, at various stages of the process, the FRACS assessors will provide feedback to those who don’t meet the standard about what they can do to comply. So, if they are strong in certain areas but poor in others, they will be given support and advice on how to improve their knowledge and weaknesses.
Following accreditation, there are ongoing steps taken to ensure that fire risk assessors continue to work to the appropriate standard.
Further references for fire risk assessments will need to be submitted, and an audit visit may ensue. Accredited individuals will also be expected to undertake Continuing Professional Development by, for example, attending technical meetings, reading journals and receiving training. Accreditation lasts for four years, explained Mr Richards, at which point the scheme administrators carry out further validation checks.
The end benefit for accredited individuals is that certification permits them to be enrolled on the IFSM’s national register of fire risk assessors, which can be used as evidence of their competence in their field when talking to interested clients.
Construction site safety
The FPA’s technical manager Adair Lewis described the association’s guidance for fire safety on construction sites, incorporating the Joint Code of Practice (JCP). A survey has shown that about 10 fires a day occur on UK construction sites, with a similar pattern in Europe. And, as in many other countries, arson fires on these UK sites are a major problem, along with hot work and electrical fires, accounting for 0.1% of all fires in the UK with 66% deliberately started. He said that this pattern is likely to intensify in current economic conditions.
High costs
Running through the causes of construction site fires (93% of all serious fires), he emphasised the high cost of related losses. The remaining 7% in refurbished/converted properties is much lower because compartmentation is in place to stop fire spread. He advised extra care at the fitting out phase, especially when expensive items – such as lifts – make fires costly.
To sustain large losses, such as £120m at Minster Court in August 1991, construction industry insurance premiums (eg £90.32m in 1990) would have had to increase 400%. In 1992, this prompted the publication of the first edition of the JCP with input from the construction industry, insurers, the FPA, etc. The current eighth edition dates from 2012 and the ninth is due later this year. It is ‘intended as helpful guidance to the industry rather than a stick to be used by insurers,’ he said.
Insurer perspective
Compliance with the JCP is an insurance requirement for projects with an original contract value of £2.5m or more and for smaller projects that are part of a larger project with an original contract value of £20m or more. Compliance represents best practice and the code should be adopted by all contractors on all sites, together with RISCAuthority Recommendations (published in the RC series) for hot work, gas cylinders, flammable liquids, heaters, protection against arson, acetylene, and smoking.
Insurers have raised some issues with the codes and in each case the problem has been rectified. Some changes and additions to each one have been made, as each is a living document. The different editions are distinguished by different colours, eg a new red version incorporates the life safety requirements of Approved Document B (ADB), and some are tailored to specific end-users.
Construction sites are unusual in that the review period can be relatively short, so risk assessments need frequent, regular review. During the construction phase, responsibility passes to the contractor. Mr Lewis advised fire risk assessors to follow guidance in the FPA Design Guide and HSE 168, which deals only with life safety. All documents roll together into the JCP, which now runs to 32 pages. It applies to infrastructure projects such as Crossrail also, and right through a project’s lifetime to dismantling and demolition.
Ninth edition
The ninth edition would bring ‘no surprises, just a few changes, ‘ he continued, adding that around 20 chapters in the eighth edition will not change. The main difference will be in legal aspects, such as European regulations. Chapters 12 (relating to arson) and 22 (high-rise buildings) contain important changes.
High risk sites
Here, the fire service should be consulted; water volume and flow checked; all hydrants cleared of obstruction; and approprate fire extinguishers provided. Other areas he flagged up to check are temporary covering materials, portable fire extinguishers, security against arson, temporary buildings and hot work.
Training and competence
Ensure also that staff understand the content of training, especially if English is not their first language. Hot work in Scandinavia requires a licence and now in the UK there is an increasing acceptance of certification. To illustrate the importance of following the guidance, Mr Lewis closed by showing some ‘horror story’ images, such as compartmentation signed off but not actually completed, and intumescent material knocked off building cladding, leaving parts exposed and unprotected.
PAS 7
Managing director of fire consultancy BB7, Ben Bradford, gave delegates an outline of the current state of play with PAS 7 and other developments in fire safety management. Launched two years ago, PAS 7 is now in line to become a fully fledged British standard, he explained, with redrafting starting later this month. Editing of the document is slated for February to April next year, with the document issued for public comment a year from now. Publication of the final document, which will be known as BS 8777, is expected in November of next year.
PAS 7 attempts to give some guidance to the notion of strategic fire risk management, a broad based term to describe a focus not just on life safety, but also on protection of property, mission continuity, etc. The development of the PAS, explained Mr Bradford, was a response to problems that resulted from organisations focusing on complying with Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This encouraged companies to spend a fortune on fire risk assessments. Unfortunately, the outcomes from these assessments have, in general, been inadequate.
Its development was also a response to try to pin down the definitions of some of the terms used in fire risk management, in order to allow better integration with other disciplines such as health and safety and business continuity.
Work looking at redrafting sections of other fire standards is also under way, said Mr Bradford, who told delegates he is looking at section 4 of BS 9999 to try to get the management systems levels working properly. Section 9 of the same standard is also earmarked for potential change, with Bradford suggesting that the emphasis on fire safety manuals should be on fire safety information instead, as well as clearer definitions of terms such as pre-occupation fire safety risk assessments, occupancy reports, etc.
He also said his aspiration is for the National Competency Standard for Fire Risk Managers – which is currently being explored by the Fire Sector Federation – to be included as part of BS 8777. Other pieces of work include a guide to fire safety information, which BB7 has been asked to produce on behalf of IOSH.
Mr Bradford suggested to delegates that the next advance for fire safety concerns the issue of information – including the need to speak a common language and use terms consistently, communicate and share risk information across multiple and relevant departments within an organisation, and the use of technology to improve processes and harness the power of big data, especially for organisations with large building portfolios.
In concluding, he added that there also exists a need for communicating fire safety information at most points in the building life cycle – including concept design, analysis, construction, renovation and demolition.
You can see a write up from all the FPA Infozone sessions by visiting www.frmjournal.com and entering FIREX 2015 in the search box.