Fire, Security and Safety

Fire safety remediation in the external envelope of buildings continues to be a key issue affecting the housing sector. As industry adapts to new regulatory realities post-Grenfell, the need to bring existing multi-occupancy housing stock into compliance remains urgently pressing. We spoke to Richard Izzard from aluminium decking manufacturer AliDeck to learn about a recent major remediation project in Southwark for Wandle Housing Association.

The conversation around fire safety in high rise developments has never been more critical, and much attention is being given to the building materials used across large expanses such as façades and flat roofs. To achieve regulatory compliance, however, it’s crucial to pay attention to each and every detail. Will Wigfield, Product Manager – Building Envelope, ROCKWOOL UK, examines the fire safety implications of external amenities above ground level such as balconies, upstands and terraces, and discusses product certifications which help stakeholders to achieve the required performance.

British designed and manufactured, Powermatic controlled, concealed door closers are gaining increasing popularity for use on fire doors in high-rise flats, apartments and HMOs.
The door closers carry the UKCA mark and have been independently tested and proved to meet the requirements for one-hour and half-hour fire doors under BS EN 1634-1.
Totally concealed when the door is closed, Powermatic door closers are less susceptible to damage from vandalism or tampering. This gives them a significant advantage over surface mounted door closers when it comes to reliability of the fire door and maintenance costs, making them the right choice for both tenants and social landlords.
Unlike other jamb-mounted devices, Powermatic door closers facilitate a door’s compliance with the accessibility requirements of Approved Document M, are the only Certifire jamb-mounted door closer and do not have to be removed from the door to be adjusted.

Awareness of the potential health problems caused by lead in the water supply, particularly in infants and children is growing.  Houses built before 1970 would have been constructed with lead water supply pipes and if still in place can be causing developmental harm to young tenants.

National Social Housing Safety and Compliance Week 2022 will take place 7-11 March. This year’s theme is ‘Challenge for Safety’.

The event is spearheaded by the Association of Safety and Compliance Professionals (ASCP). Dedicated to shining a spotlight on safety and compliance at an operational, strategic and cultural level, this week is an opportunity for the sector as a whole to come together to make homes safer than ever before.

Chris Flaherty – Technical Director at Winkhaus UK and Jon Cole – Chief Operating Officer at Secured by Design explain the importance of smoke resistance testing and how they have worked together to close a potential gap in the standards.

The 2019 MHCLG guideline for fire doors identified 3 critical features of required tested performance FIRE, SMOKE and ENHANCED SECURITY. Equally, the MHCLG guideline clearly states that these critical performances should be audited by 3rd Party independent audits / Certification.

Winkhaus FireFrame® composite fire door sets are the first fire door solutions to attain the Q Mark 3rd party audit / Certification for all three critical performance requirements. By the summer 2022 this will be the minimum technical requirement for all Secured by Design accredited door sets.

A recent survey into fire safety in social housing carried out by Housing Management and Maintenance magazine reported that 95% of respondents named fire doors as the most important fire safety product and more than half cited broken fire doors as the main reason for properties failing fire safety assessments.
With the Hackitt Review calling for greater care in the specification of fire safety products, door closer manufacturer, Samuel Heath asserts that the type of door closer fitted to fire doors in social housing stock should be given as much consideration as the fire door itself.