BCSA publishes good practice guidance for fire protection

Summarising the responsibilities of relevant duty holders in terms of fire protection of a steel-framed building, the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) has published Good Practice Guidance for Fire protection responsibilities in steel construction.

The guidance is in line with the Building Regulations, as updated by the Building Safety Act, which require that any person or organisation carrying out any building work or design must have the necessary competence (skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours or organisational capabilities) to ensure that the task is carried out in accordance with the relevant regulatory requirements.

The document’s focus is on passive fire protection solutions using intumescent coating systems. It also proposes a procurement option and establishes the relationships between the various parties. It also establishes that the design and performance requirements for the contract must come from the client and/or its designated designers, architects or fire engineer.

Their requirements will be considered by the steelwork contractor and, in turn, the intumescent coating manufacturer, who will offer a coating specification in line with those design requirements, and then the coating applicator has the responsibility for their own workmanship and quality control processes.

The guidance is available at: https://bcsa.org.uk/product/fire-protection-responsibilities-in-steel-construction/