Double impact from regulations

A Kingspan Insulated Panels product story

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Mar 6, 2006

Mark Harris considers the impact of the Fire Safety Order and the planned new Approved Document B on building specifiers and end-users.

Mark Harris considers the impact of the Fire Safety Order and the planned new Approved Document B on building specifiers and end-users.

Incorporating fire safety into the design of a building sounds obvious but it has not always been the first thought of specifiers and developers, who understandably tend to focus on function, style and aesthetics from the outset.

But the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, coming into force in England and Wales in April 2006, looks set to change all this.

The Order will firmly place the onus for minimising fire risks in commercial buildings on specifiers and end-users.

Currently, the fire and rescue service is responsible for assessing the building fabric and issuing a fire certificate.

Under the forthcoming Order, it will be the responsibility of the building owner or occupier, through a designated 'responsible person', to undertake a fire risk assessment focusing on 'safety in case of fire' for all relevant persons_ Go to the Kingspan Insulated Panels website to read the full article.