THE BUILDING REGULATIONS 2010 AND COMPLIANCE ROUTES
disruption. Where the continuity of business has been identified as a goal by the client or another project stakeholder, as per BS 7974 there normally needs to be some form of business impact assessment which aims to elucidate the client’s / operator’s objectives, stakeholder obligations, statutory duties and the environment in which the organisation operates. Ultimately, this leads to tangible design objectives that inform the organisation’s continuity and recovery strategy. Like property protection, business continuity goals are ‘private’, with the end-user free to invest in a level of protection that they feel is proportionate to their potential future losses, should a fire occur. Environmental impact Another specific goal that can be identified by project stakeholders is the protection of the environment in the event of a fire. Whilst fires are accidental events and providing additional measures in fire safety design to specifically address environmental protection is not common, as per BS 7974 such measures can be developed, to limit the impact on the environment from a conflagration involving several buildings or the release of quantities of hazardous materials. These may limit: – The effects of fire on adjacent buildings or facilities. – The release of hazardous materials into the environment. – The unintended effects of methods of fire-fighting (eg avoidance of river pollution). Historic preservation As previously mentioned property protection goals can include the protection of the building itself as an asset. For listed buildings or other historic buildings, stakeholders may also identify specific goals related to historic preservation, where the whole building or specific areas of the building are of historical importance. Historic preservation goals are of key consideration during refurbishment/construction works, addressing fire risks within this period. Recent examples of damages/losses to buildings of historic buildings, highlighting the risks to historic preservation during refurbishment works are the fire in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019 and the Copenhagen Stock Exchange fire in 2024.
The Building Regulations 2010 are intended to ensure a reasonable standard of health and safety for people in and around buildings in a fire. The Building Regulations are secondary legislation facilitated by the Building Act (primary legislation), which empowers the appropriate national authority to make regulations for several purposes, most notably for “securing the health, safety, welfare and convenience of persons in or about buildings and of others who may be affected by buildings or matters connected with buildings”. The Building Act also facilitates the approval and issue of documents for the purpose of “providing practical guidance with respect to the requirements of any provision of building regulations”. For Part B (Fire Safety), this is Approved Document B, Volumes 1 4 and 2 5 . It is a misconception that the guidance in Approved Document B (sometimes incorrectly referred to as ‘Part B’) constitutes the law or that it must be followed in all instances. What must be complied with are the requirements of Part B of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010. To demonstrate compliance with these, there are different routes that fire safety designs can follow, as detailed below. Common Perception: Life safety protections do not contribute to property protection. Reality: Life safety measures, such as automatic fire detection systems, sprinkler systems and compartmentation, and structural fire protection contribute to property protection by providing an early alert to the fire, controlling and containing the fire, and protecting the structure. These measures not only provide reasonable standards of health and safety to those in or around a building but can also limit fire spread, reducing potential damage to the building and its contents.
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