Automating fire-rated doors requires robust evidence says ADSA

by Associations and OrganisationsFeatured NewsFire Doors

Technical testing for fire-rated doors

The Automatic Door Suppliers Association (ADSA) has established a cross-industry steering group to investigate the safety implications of automating existing fire-resisting timber doors.

This collaborative initiative aims to determine whether retrofitting hardware or routing cables for automation compromises the integrity of a fire-rated door system.

Industry leaders Record UK, dormakaba and GEZE UK are participating in the group alongside the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers and the British Woodworking Federation.

A fire test house will conduct controlled testing to replicate common installation scenarios such as drilling for cabling and replacing manual closing devices.

Findings from the research will establish an evidence base for the industry regarding how typical modifications influence fire performance.

Darren Hyde, Technical and Training Manager at ADSA, said: “Many of the questions we receive now relate to automating existing fire doors.

“When you retrofit automation, you’re potentially changing the construction of the door.

“What we want to do as an industry is understand exactly how those modifications affect fire performance.”

Guidance for engineers and specifiers

Technical data from the programme will be used to create new guidance for building owners and fire safety professionals scheduled for release later this year.

The document will provide practical methods for cable routing and fire-stopping to help engineers maintain door integrity during automation projects.

ADSA noted that while new-build projects use fully tested door systems, the retrofit environment is often less predictable for installers.

Hyde added: “In new-build, manufacturers can provide clear test evidence for complete systems.

“In retrofit situations, that level of certainty doesn’t always exist.

“We want to close that gap in understanding.”

The project intends to balance the accessibility benefits of automated movement with the necessity of maintaining established fire safety standards.

ADSA expects the results to support more informed decision-making by demonstrating how existing doors can be adapted safely without requiring full replacement.

New construction product PAS 2000 links Grenfell recommendations with UK reform

by ConstructionFeatured NewsSafety

Construction products PAS 2000 published by BSI

A new framework designed to strengthen product safety and support regulatory reform across the built environment sector has been published following a recommendation that came out of the Grenfell Inquiry.

BSI stated that PAS 2000, Construction products – Bringing safe products to market – Code of practice, sets a practical framework for construction product manufacturers to demonstrate they have taken reasonable steps to best ensure products placed on the market are safe for their intended use.

The code of practice was sponsored by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).

The PAS aligns with Recommendation 3.3 of the Morrell-Day Review which called for industry collaboration with BSI to produce guidance on the due diligence expected when placing a construction product on the market.

Link to Grenfell and construction product regulatory reform

The PAS was developed following recommendations in the Morrell-Day Testing for a Safer Future report and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report.

It also responds to the UK Government’s programme of construction product regulatory reform.

BSI said this included the launch of the Construction Product white paper on 25 February.

Ian Richardson, Sector Lead, BSI said: “This publication reflects our clear commitment to responding constructively to the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and Morrell-Day Review, and to supporting safety across the built environment.

“At a time of significant regulatory reform, PAS 2000 has been developed to support greater transparency, accountability and due diligence across the supply chain.

“By setting clear expectations and good practice, manufacturers and other economic operators should be empowered to embed robust product safety governance and align with evolving regulatory requirements.

“We encourage organizations across the built environment sector to engage with the standard and support its adoption.”

Launch event scheduled for 10 March

BSI said it will host a launch event on 10 March to explain the background to the development of PAS 2000 and outline the structure, content and practical benefits of the standard.

The event is also set to clarify how organisations can implement the framework and provide an opportunity for questions and industry engagement.

Speakers are due to include representatives from OPSS, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Dr Hywel Davies OBE as the technical author for PAS 2000.

The standard and its launch event are positioned as part of ongoing construction product regulatory reform work.

Fire Aware sets out cultural change aims in plain terms

by Featured NewsIndustry CommentSafety

Cultural change across sectors is Fire Aware’s focus

Fire Aware has published commentary calling for cultural change across multiple sectors it describes as vulnerable to fire risk.

The organisation is focusing on property and construction, plus hospitality, healthcare, the public sector and retail.

Fire Aware CEO Gavin Skelly said: “Fire Aware crosses the boundaries of sectors that have responsibilities for end-user safety.

“This is not just about construction companies.

“We are working with any organisation that wants to show the public that they are responsible and are committing to only delivering the safest outcome for their staff, clients and customers.”

Sectors highlighted for responsibility in buildings

Skelly cited sectors with particular responsibilities for people who work and move about in their buildings, including hospitality covering bars, restaurants and hotels.

Healthcare was also identified as a focus, with reference to protecting vulnerable and elderly people, including those who are ill or cannot look after themselves in the event of a real fire.

Skelly added: “Working in this industry is a vocation, not a job, and should be treated as such.

“All parts of the supply chain across multiple sectors should work with the same vocational approach, not just those who are qualified to do so.

“The legislation being introduced is robust and also quite complex.

“The guidance and support we offer will help navigate the relevant parts for our members and for anyone else wishing to tap onto this knowledge and intelligence.”

Charters and a moral code of conduct

Fire Aware described its work as focusing on the moral responsibility of those working in the fire safety supply chain, including designers, developers, asset owners, managers and other stakeholders.

It said it aims to change the culture of the built environment sector by introducing a moral code of conduct via a series of charters intended to influence how member companies behave in upholding their duty of care.

Fire Aware described itself as a recognised membership body serving the built environment and related sectors with an aim to work and trade responsibly to best practice standards in the interests of general public safety.

Competence Hub launched to fix fragmented competence information

by Featured NewsSafety

Competence Hub brings competence resources into one place

BSI has launched a national digital resource called the Built Environment Competence Hub.

The Hub is intended to bring together standards, competence frameworks, guidance and industry insight in one central place.

BSI describes it as a central point of reference for competence-related information across the built environment lifecycle.

How the Built Environment Competence Hub is intended to be used

The Hub is managed by BSI and was developed in collaboration with the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

BSI said the Hub responds to concerns that competence information is fragmented, difficult to access and inconsistent across roles and disciplines.

The Hub is intended to provide a shared space for industry to engage on competence, exchange best practice and access resources intended to support clarity and consistency.

What BSI says the Hub is for

Anthony Burd, Director of Built Environment, BSI Knowledge Solutions, BSI, said: “Competence is fundamental to a built environment sector that is safe, trusted and capable of meeting society’s needs.

“The Built Environment Competence Hub has been designed as a living resource, shaped by ongoing industry input and able to evolve as competence requirements, standards and best practice continue to develop.

“By improving access to authoritative information and supporting a more consistent understanding of competence, the Hub also aims to play a vital role in helping the sector respond to regulatory reform following the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022.”

The Hub is open to professionals, organisations and stakeholders, with users encouraged to register to access resources and engage with content.

Operational testing of sprinklers: UL Solutions explains NFPA 25 sample testing rules

by Featured NewsFire EngineeringFire Suppression

Kerry M. Bell, principal engineer, Fire Sprinkler and Pump Equipment at UL Solutions, sets out testing procedures and clarifies temperature rating considerations for varied installation environments

For several decades, UL Solutions has examined and tested sprinklers sampled from field installations in accordance with the recommendations and requirements of applicable National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.

To be effective in controlling or suppressing a fire, a sprinkler system is required to be designed and installed to provide protection against the magnitude of the fire risk anticipated to occur.

For example, the amount of water required to be discharged from a sprinkler protecting a warehouse with high-piled storage is multiple times greater than the amount of water required to be discharged from a sprinkler protecting an office facility with a smaller fire load.

While it is critical for sprinkler systems to be properly designed and installed, it is equally important for these systems to be periodically inspected, tested and maintained to help ensure that the system equipment will perform as intended if a fire occurs.

The primary focus of this article is on the examination and testing of the sprinklers sampled from a sprinkler system as referenced in the 2023 edition of NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems.

Inspection, testing and maintenance requirements for sprinklers

Periodic inspection of field-installed sprinklers is an important element of a comprehensive maintenance program for fire sprinkler systems.

As specified in NFPA 25, sprinklers showing signs of leakage, field painting, physical damage, loss of fluid in the glass bulb heat responsive element and corrosion or loading considered detrimental to sprinkler performance must be replaced.

These conditions can lead to the degradation of sprinkler performance during a fire condition.

In addition to the periodic inspection of field-installed sprinklers, the 2023 edition of NFPA 25 also requires replacement or representative sample testing of sprinklers based on the length of time in service.

Sample testing or replacement frequency depends on the sprinkler type and installation environment.

While many sprinklers do not require representative testing or replacement until they have been in service for 50 years, sprinklers having fast response elements must be tested or replaced at a shorter time interval.

Early suppression fast response (ESFR) and control mode specific application (CMSA) sprinklers that have fast response elements must be tested or replaced after 20 years in service and 10-year intervals thereafter.

Other types of sprinklers that have fast response elements must be tested or replaced after 25 years in service and 10-year intervals thereafter.

Due to the relatively complex construction of a dry-type sprinkler, as well as some of the challenging installation environments where many of these sprinklers may be installed, dry-type sprinklers must be tested or replaced after 20 years of service and 10-year intervals thereafter regardless of the sprinkler response type.

It is also worth highlighting the fact that NFPA 25 indicates that sprinklers installed in extraordinarily harsh environmental conditions, such as foundries, fertiliser facilities or areas exposed to outside weather conditions, must be replaced or representative samples tested on a five-year basis.

The frequency for sample testing or replacement of some of these sprinklers has been revised over the years in consideration of the overall performance during representative sample testing.

Sprinkler samples selected for testing are to be representative of the sprinklers installed in the system.

As noted in NFPA 25, no less than four samples, or 1% of the number of sprinklers per sample area, whichever is greater, are to be tested.

The sprinkler samples removed from the system for testing must be immediately replaced with new sprinklers.

Each sample received by UL Solutions is visually examined before testing to ascertain the sprinkler manufacturer, model or sprinkler identification number, style, type of heat responsive element, temperature rating and year of manufacturer.

The condition of the sprinkler is also noted based on visual evidence of corrosion, loading, leakage, physical damage, loss of fluid in a glass bulb heat responsive element or field painting.

The testing of the sprinklers involves an assessment of the ability of the sprinkler to operate and allow the discharge of water.

Sample testing and report

To assess the operating characteristics of sprinklers sampled from field installation environments, the samples are subjected to the sensitivity-oven heat test as described in ANSI/CAN/UL/ULC 199, the Standard for Automatic Sprinklers for Fire Protection Service.

During this test, the inlet of the sample is pressurised to approximately 5 psi (0.35 bar) and quickly plunged into an oven that circulates heated air at a constant temperature and velocity.

The actual temperature and air velocity used for the test are selected based on the temperature rating of the sprinkler.

Each sprinkler sample is observed for proper operating characteristics including the release of operating components and time of operation.

If the heat response element functions but the water seal does not release, the sample is exposed to a water supply to determine if the sprinkler’s water seal releases at 7 psi (0.5 bar).

The test report for the samples is provided to the submitter and describes the condition of each sprinkler and results of the operation test as either normal or abnormal.

The as-received condition of each sprinkler sample described in the report is based on a visual examination.

The information included in the report is intended to be considered by other parties in determining the need to replace other sprinklers in the system.

UL Solutions

UL Solutions is a global leader in safety science with deep expertise in the Built Environment industry.

We provide comprehensive testing and certification services for fire protection products, including sprinklers, supporting manufacturers throughout the entire product lifecycle, from design and development to compliance and market entry.

Our rigorous evaluation processes help demonstrate safety, reliability, and performance, enabling manufacturers to meet regulatory requirements and gain access to global markets with confidence.

This was originally published in the January 2026 Edition of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE copy, click here.

CROSS-UK examines ageing buildings, structural risk and battery safety considerations

by Building ManagementFeatured NewsResearchSafety

Why battery safety belongs in every ageing building decision

Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK (CROSS-UK) has published a Topic Paper on the ageing built environment in the UK, setting out how existing buildings and infrastructure can be managed, extended in life or repurposed.

The organisation said the paper explains how ageing assets create both challenges and opportunities once structures reach or pass their intended service life.

According to CROSS-UK, the document is based on confidential reports from engineers, asset managers and construction professionals, supported by references to anonymised CROSS Safety Reports.

The Topic Paper describes how older structures may suffer from material degradation, incomplete documentation and historic design approaches that do not align with current expectations.

CROSS-UK frames the publication as guidance for policymakers, regulators, insurers, asset owners, facilities managers and construction professionals responsible for the safety and future use of ageing buildings and other structures.

The paper states that leaving ageing assets unassessed is not an acceptable option and argues for decisions that take safety, sustainability and economic outcomes into account.

Asset knowledge, deterioration and inspection

CROSS-UK places asset knowledge at the centre of decision-making for ageing structures and highlights reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) as an example where incomplete records delayed action.

The Topic Paper notes that many older buildings lack accurate as-built information, have been altered without proper recording or contain materials that were not fully understood at the time of construction.

The report explains that this can leave owners unaware of critical elements and increase uncertainty when problems emerge.

CROSS-UK outlines how steel, concrete, masonry and timber each degrade over time, and how these processes interact with changing conditions such as climate impacts, heavier vehicles, new fire loads and system obsolescence.

The Topic Paper references failures including the Pipers Row car park, the gable collapse at Northwich Station and the Morandi Bridge to illustrate the outcomes of unmanaged deterioration.

CROSS-UK calls for structured inspection and maintenance regimes that combine scheduled and risk-based approaches and give targeted access to hidden or safety-critical components.

According to the paper, examples such as half-joint bridge failures, corroded tendons and concealed steelwork demonstrate how inaccessible details have driven catastrophic collapses.

CROSS-UK argues that maintenance must be treated as a core safety responsibility rather than a discretionary cost that can be reduced when budgets tighten.

Reuse, constraints and changing fire and battery safety risks

The Topic Paper sets out a case for reuse and repurposing as part of a lower carbon built environment, stating that retaining and adapting existing structures can reduce embodied emissions and support resource efficiency.

CROSS-UK explains that safe adaptation requires robust assessment, intrusive investigation where needed and careful review of load paths, fire safety measures and regulatory compliance when a building’s use changes.

The paper warns that poorly planned retrofit measures, such as some insulation approaches, have led to moisture problems and damage in existing structures.

CROSS-UK notes that constraints such as skills shortages, incomplete records, funding pressures and regulatory complexity can limit reuse options or push decisions towards unnecessary demolition.

The Topic Paper also refers to evolving risks, including new fire loads and obsolescent systems, and links to its separate Topic Paper on lithium-ion batteries for those addressing fire and battery safety in buildings that predate current technologies.

According to CROSS-UK, extending the life of structures requires experienced engineering judgement when applying modern standards to historic construction, with decisions based on risk, tolerable performance and the specific context of each asset.

The organisation concludes that collaboration, competence and long-term planning are needed if ageing structures are to be retained safely rather than removed by default.

How ageing asset guidance affects safety and engineering practice

The CROSS-UK Topic Paper has direct implications for asset owners and managers who oversee estates containing older buildings and infrastructure.

For these groups, the emphasis on structured inspection, record-keeping and maintenance describes practical steps that can reduce unplanned failures and support decisions on whether to retain, adapt or deconstruct structures.

Facilities managers in commercial, industrial and public sectors can use the paper’s focus on hidden components and access needs to frame inspection regimes and plan intrusive investigations where safety-critical elements are concealed.

Fire engineering consultants, architects and building services engineers gain a consolidated view of how ageing materials, changing fire loads and retrofit measures interact in older buildings, including references to separate guidance on lithium-ion battery risks.

Regulators and policymakers can draw on the discussion of RAAC, documented failures and maintenance backlogs when considering where to focus oversight, funding and future standards for existing stock.

The Topic Paper also highlights the need for skilled inspection and assessment, which is relevant for structural engineers and surveyors involved in appraising older structures for continued use, conversion or demolition.

Fire Aware calls for culture shift on duty of care in fire safety supply chain

by ConstructionFeatured NewsFire DetectionPassiveSafety

Fire Aware links culture to duty of care

Fire Aware has urged the fire safety industry supply chain to raise standards and focus on duty of care through its expanding membership body.

The organisation said its core message is that working in fire safety involves a moral responsibility as well as legal compliance.

Fire Aware framed its work around protecting people, arguing that the buildings and fire protection measures delivered by the supply chain must meet obligations to end users.

The body described fire safety work as more than a job and said activity in the sector should be treated as a vocation.

Gavin Skelly, Fire Aware CEO, said: “We are receiving a lot of positive feedback from the supply chain at all levels from large organisations to smaller businesses.

“They all want to play their part and we are asking all of those working this industry to think about their duty of care and what that means.

“We should all be following the new legislation including the new Building Safety Act as a minimum level.

“Our standards go beyond that and address the issues of best practice.

“Ultimately, we are all protecting people’s lives.

“The buildings we work on and the protection we install in all its different forms mean we are meeting our obligations.

“This is more than a job.

“Working in this industry is a vocation and should not be underestimated.”

Membership open across the fire safety supply chain

According to Fire Aware, membership is available to organisations and individuals across the fire safety industry supply chain.

The body said its members include designers, developers, asset owners and managers and other stakeholders involved in building delivery and maintenance.

Membership is also available to domestic trades, material suppliers and building management teams.

Fire Aware stated that it is engaging with sectors such as hotel and leisure, commercial landlords, private landlords and local authorities.

The organisation explained that members can provide training courses on fire safety and management, including content on relevant legislation.

Training is aimed at roles such as designers, main contractors and domestic trades, as well as material suppliers and building management functions.

Fire Aware said this approach is intended to support understanding of legal duties and practical responsibilities across different parts of the built environment sector.

Charters aim to reshape industry culture

Fire Aware said it aims to change the culture of the built environment sector through a moral code of conduct.

The organisation is developing a series of charters that set out how member companies are expected to behave when upholding their duty of care.

According to Fire Aware, these charters are designed to influence decisions in design, construction, maintenance and management activities.

The body described itself as a recognised membership organisation for the built environment and related sectors.

It said members share a common aim to work and trade responsibly in line with best practice standards.

Fire Aware linked this objective directly to the safety of the general public, indicating that culture, behaviour and technical standards cannot be separated.

The organisation repeated that new legislation, including the Building Safety Act, should be treated as a baseline rather than a ceiling for practice.

How Fire Aware’s approach supports built environment decision-makers

Fire Aware positions its membership model and charters as tools for those making decisions about fire protection in buildings.

The organisation’s focus on duty of care is relevant to designers, developers and asset owners who specify and approve fire-safety measures.

Building management teams and those responsible for hotel and leisure facilities, commercial property and rented housing can use the charters to frame expectations of contractors and suppliers.

Domestic trades and material suppliers involved in installing or providing fire-safety products are addressed through training opportunities that cover legislation and management responsibilities.

Local authorities can reference Fire Aware’s emphasis on going beyond minimum legislative requirements when assessing how duty of care is being interpreted across their estates.

By linking culture, moral responsibility and best practice, the body offers a reference point for organisations seeking to align technical compliance with wider obligations to occupants and the public.

National Standards Programme launched to ‘raise’ competence

by Passive

THE BRITISH Standards Institution (BSI) said that the new national standards programme would ‘raise professional competence in the built environment sector’.

BSI stated that the professional competence recommendations set out by Dame Judith Hackitt in her Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety are ‘set to be fulfilled’ by BSI in the new programme, which will ‘tackle the competence challenges identified’ by Dame Judith, and form part of the ‘package of measures recommended’ by the competence steering group (CGS) set out in the Raising the Bar report from the Construction Industry Council (CIC) last year.

The programme will be funded by the government and ‘designed to support the delivery of regulatory policy’, as well as the ‘new regulated roles responsible for building safety’ that have been ‘set out’ in the building safety bill. It will also enable the ‘large scale, industry led’ programme to raise competency across the sector, and includes an ‘overarching’ competency framework standard for ‘everyone working on a building’.

This standard is ‘intended to be used by key professions and trades including designers, contractors, fire risk assessors, building manager and others in specialist technical or corporate roles’. The framework meanwhile will ‘provide a set of core principles of competence’, including ‘leading and managing’ as well as ‘communicating’ and ‘delivering’ safety, risk management, regulations and processes, building systems, ethics and ‘fire/life safety’.

From this autumn the framework will be ‘made available for use’, and after three periods of public consultation and ‘refinement’, it will be published as a British standard, and include a set of competence requirements for the three newly regulated roles – which include the principal designer, principal contractor and building safety manager.

A number of fast track publicly available standards (PASs) will be produced to ‘meet the urgent need for competent individuals to fulfil these roles’ and ‘ensure the safety of residents’, with the roles having ‘overarching responsibility for the main activities affecting building and life safety at each stage of a building’s lifecycle’ – namely the design, construction and operation stages.

Each role requires ‘enhanced competences in addition to any discipline related competences’, relating to the ‘overarching’ position of ensuring that design intent of a building ‘is maintained’ alongside workers being ‘suitably competent’ to be employed and used in design, construction, refurbishment, maintenance and operation. The programme began in April 2020, and has been overseen by a ‘newly established’ built environment competence standards strategy group (BECS).

This group includes ‘strategic, senior level’ technical and policy experts from a ‘broad range of organisations involved in the design, construction and management of higher risk buildings’, and the programme itself will run until 2022. Scott Steedman, director of standards at BSI, stated: ‘Dame Judith Hackitt’s report asked the built environment industry to change its culture to safeguard people and their properties.

‘In response to the call to put clear responsibility at the heart of the system, BSI as the UK’s national standards body, has launched the professional competence standards programme. The new industry-led standards will support the building safety bill by “raising the bar” across workforce competence.’

Dame Judith commented: ‘The work of the [CSG] has been a “tour de force” and all of those who have been involved thus far are to be congratulated. As the baton is handed over to BSI to lead us through the standards development process, the whole industry needs to keep up the pace – not just to agree on the new standards, but to make them a reality in practice. That will require collaboration and cooperation, and demolition of silos – part of the culture change that is so urgently needed.’

Graham Watts, chair of the CSG and chief executive officer of the CIC, said: ‘This new stakeholder-led national standards programme, under the guidance of BSI, is the welcome and vital next step in raising and setting the bar for enhanced competence standards for all those engaged in ensuring that buildings are safe for their residents and occupants, through the design and construction or refurbishment phases and into the management of buildings in use.

‘It builds upon the framework of occupational competences across all sectors that the [CSG]has developed over the past two years.’

Building Safety Minister Lord Greenhalgh commented: ‘This government is determined to put residents’ safety first by bringing about the biggest improvements in building safety regulations in 40 years. Regulatory reforms alone won’t achieve this – we need to raise skills across the industry, backed by a strong national competence framework, and we are working together with the BSI and industry to make this happen. We welcome the expertise they bring to the vital work of raising standards of competence to make sure all residents are safe, and feel safe, in their homes.’

Chris Auger, head of schemes at BAFE, added: ‘BAFE is actively working on a number of Working Groups including the [BECS] strategy group and the [CSG] to help raise and set the bar of fire safety in the built environment.

‘It is vital that there is both a top down and bottom up approach to competence in order to have competent individuals working on and understanding fire safety in construction and, effective and competent management of life and fire safety which will have a “trickle down” effect leading to the much needed culture change that Dame Judith Hackitt has described.’

www.thefpa.co.uk