The next step

A guide to choosing a competent fire risk assessor

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A copy of the HSE's Fire Safety in Construction guidance

[Document]

Don’t let your alterations burn down your building

What happened?

In 2017, E Manton Ltd (E), a timber-frame designer, MTE (Leicester) Ltd (M), a manufacturer and installer, and Thornton - Firkin LLP (T), a principal designer, were working together on a project at a residential care home. The project involved the installation of a three-storey timber-framed construction which also had a timber-frame link extension to the existing building. The work was being carried out whilst the home was occupied with residents and staff. As a large building site, it caught the attention of the HSE which inspected the site. The fire risks of timber-framed construction are one of the regulator’s priority areas, and it’s therefore unsurprising that the inspector was unimpressed. The fire prevention measures were found to be inadequate and the blame was laid at the door of all three companies.

Note. There have been major fires involving timber-framed buildings under construction in which the fire has spread due to the proximity of other properties. In this case the situation was potentially much worse because the new building was joined to the existing structure, and the residents would need extra time and assistance to escape.

In court

E, M and T all pleaded guilty to breaching s.3 (1)Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 . Fines of £26,000, £20,000 and £8,000 were given to the companies respectively, plus costs.

What should have happened?

Timber-framed buildings can be vulnerable to rapid fire spread early in the construction phase when the timber is not covered over by more fire-resisting materials such as plasterboard - a fact which would be well known to the defendants. Had they acted in accordance with industry good practice, the risk could have been easily brought under control.

Tip 1. A fire risk assessment must be completed in the planning stages of a construction project. Carrying this out for a timber-framed construction is a specialist job therefore you’ll need to ensure that the assessor is competent in this area (see The next step ).

Tip 2. HSE and industry guidelines describe the fire safety measures for reducing the risk. These include the use of timber which has a fire retardant treatment, and scheduling the work so that fire compartmentation is constructed as early as possible.

Tip 3. Where a new construction is linked to an existing building, temporary compartmentation can be constructed, e.g. with a timber studding framework faced with 12.5mm thick plasterboard, skimmed with 5mm of plaster to protect the joints (see The next step ).

Tip 4. If you’re the client of this type of construction work it’s in your interests to check your contractor’s plan for fire prevention. Bear in mind that had there been a fire in this case, the client would have suffered the distress of managing a life-threatening situation.

For a link to a guide to choosing a competent fire risk assessor and for a copy of the HSE’s Fire Safety in Construction guidance, visit http://tipsandadvice-healthandsafety.co.uk/download (HS 18.14.07).