Fire Risk Assessments

Hello, I'm after some advice - I am opening a brow bar in a shopping centre and I've been asked to provide some safety info for my brow chairs, I have asked my chair supplier to provide this and they have told me they cannot provide certifictes as the chairs are not tested to british safety standards. Is it correct that for beauty chairs there is no legal requirement for it to meet any safety standards? Thank you

I have just received as FRA where on of the questions raised by the Risk Assessor is Confirm that the cladding meets B-s3, d2 rating. The cladding is ship lapped pine affixed internally to the ceiling of a single story building some 25 years old and the OEMs have been lost. The question is how without taking a sample off the ceiling do I prove it conforms to the rating?

The new` Fire safety (England) Regulations 2022' state (or seem to infer) that `The walls and floors that separate any domestic premises from other domestic premises' should be considered in all FRA's going forward for flats. Most FR assessors already consider fire doors, external walls and balconies anyway to my knowledge. How are we expected to comply with this on say a Type 1 FRA on a small 2 or 3 storey block of flats without getting access to flats and taking up carpets etc. Would really appreciate some advice here because all the Fire Officers I've asked haven't come back to me on it.

Which internal doors in a block of flats need to have door closures on them in order for the block to be fire compliant?

Hi. Does an electrical room/enclosure of a small commercial premises containing the main fuse box, meters, and distribution board, etc need to be in a fire-rated enclosure or would it be better to place a smoke alarm adjacent to it? The enclosure is on the first floor that only has a staircase up to it, there is nothing else on this level.

My specific enquiry relates to SOUNDMAT 3 Plus for a domestic dwelling with wooden tongue & groove plank floors - for a bedroom above a living room. Basically to retro-install below carpet/in place of carpet underlay in the bedroom so as to improve reduction of sounds transmitted up from the living room into the bedroom above. The datasheet/brochure for this product https://irp.cdn-website.com/28aa4e38/files/uploaded/ProSound SoundMat 3 Plus Product Brochure_A7AE4q29QbuNSAsjJRWB.pdf offers this on fire rating: "Fire - 0 burn rate Barrier mat: (top and bottom layer) Flammability (FMVSS 302) : Zero burn rate Service temperature: <90°C (continuous…

Hi. Does anyone know the regulation for fixed electrical testing in a business. Does it need to be done every 5 years the same as in a communal area in a flat?

Hi. Would a low-risk detached commercial building of approx 2400 sq feet with 3 separate businesses of approx 800 sq ft each need emergency lights and or an alram system fitted. Each individual unit has sufficient fire stopping between units and a maximum of 3 employees. Housekeeping is good in each unit, there are no dangerous substances in the units, no cooking is done,no hot works processes or high-risk activities are carried out at all. Each separate unit has 2 final exit doors.

Hi Is a nominal type Fire door which is at least 44 mm thick still legal on an apartment front door in a communal area if it is good condition. Do you need to retrofit it with a door closer and intumescent / smoke seals or can it be used without them.

Hi. Can anyone give me some general guidance? What does a 4-story building with one 1 bedroomed apartment on each floor need regarding fire doors, alarm system and emergency lights. The building is approx 100 years old and was converted pre-1991. It currently has a battery smoke alarm on each communal level, no emergency lights at all, and the flat doors are 45 mm thick but have no self-closures or intumescent strips fitted. I know a fire risk Assessment will be needed, but can anyone give me any general advice on the minimum works to be done to bring it up to current regulations?

Will a detached single-story commercial unit of approximately 2400 sq ft split into 3 units each about 800 sq feet need an individual fire risk assessment for each tenant, or can the building as a whole be done in one assessment? The building is owned by one person.

I live in a top floor Victorian conversion of 4 flats which pre date 1991 Building Regs - basement, ground, floor 1 and floor 2. All flats have their own external entrance. There is an open concrete staircase which leads to the flats on floor 1 consisting of 2 flights (10 steps each) and another 2 flights to my external door. A FRA was undertaken in 2021 and it did not mention escape routes or fire doors. Does the building need a new FRA? Does the external door on Floor 1 need to be a fire door as it is necessary to pass it to leave the building? Does my door need to be a fire door? Does the freeholder need to provide information about fire safety and an evacuation plan? …

Hi. If a ground floor commercial property also owns and lets out a first floor flat above, will the ground floor commercial property and the first floor flat both need a fire risk assessment. The flat has its own entrance.

do they have to be registered

I have a detached property that has been converted into 2 apartments, one on the ground floor and one on the first floor. The g/f lobby area measures approximately 2 metres x 1 metre and contains both the entrance doors. The left-hand door leads straight into the g/f apartment and the right door leads up the stairs into the first-floor apartment. The g/f apartment has an additional 2 exit doors into the rear and side of the garden, the top floor apartment only has the one front exit door. Should the front doors into the apartments be Fire doors?

Hi all I live in a standard 3 story (ground, 1st 2nd floor) residential conversion with 3 flats and a basement flat. The communal area currently has emergency lighting and a mains powered smoke alarm on the entrance floor and first floor, together with appropriate signage (which is a bit OTT considering it is obvious that the fire exit is the front door!) We have had a new fire risk assessment done and it is recommending two things (copied from report): 1. These flats pre-date the relevant Building Regulations standards. A BS5839 Part 6 Category LD3 domestic fire detection and warning system is provided within the common areas of the premises. In addi…

Hi there, I have 2 short questions related to FRA's: 1. With the Home Office guides suggesting 60 min fire separation between basement and GF, I just wondered what the rationale was behind this requirement? 2. Where elevator doors open onto a protected escape route - how can you tell that the doors are fire rated? Similarly, would you expect kitchen dumb-waiters that pass between levels to typically have fire-rated doors? Thanks

Hi there, I have 2 question about protected escape routes in a pub with live-in accommodation upstairs: 1. There are 2 escape routes from the first floor accommodation flat via separate corridors & stairs. Some of the doors on these routes are not FD30S. Question is, would they need to be as there are two escape routes? Risk assessment could argue that if one escape route becomes compromised, another will be available. So for life safety, 30 min fire protection is not required along either of the routes). 2. In an older builder, can a 25mm doorstop still be accepted as a alternative to intumescent seals/cold smoke strips. Thanks!

I have some fd30 doors within a care facility with that only have 2 hinges fitted . Am I looking to install a third hinge to comply? or was 2 hinges once allowed and the legislation not retrospective when it comes to a FRA. ? The fire brigade inspection did say that intumescent strips had to be fitted (since done) but no mention of hinge quantity.

In an small office environment, is there a requirement for the incoming electrical mains to to encased to offer 30 mins FR? In this example the incoming cable is housed in a wooden cupboard along with the consumer unit ( a new metal case type.)

Hello all, Have a slight conundrum with a new basement I would like to put partially under a new extension. 1/3 will be under the extension, 2/3 will be in the garden. size is approx 5 x 5 x 3 high There will be skylights in the garden bit. Access to the basement will be via a spiral staircase from the open plan kitchen/dining area. Building regs require an egress window and then stairs up to ground level - in this situation that means we will have a wall/banister 1000 high in the middle of the garden - that is enough to scrap the idea. HOWEVER... It has been suggested that other measures may negate the need for an egress opening - domestic mist s…

Hi, what regulations should I use to assess a 100 year old industrial building which was originally a print works which has had a change of use and is now a craft shop with a small warehouse. I assume it'll be offices and shops? The travel distances are different for each guide and will conflict with what is currently in place. Thanks.

Hi folks, Please see the attached with reference to some work being carried out to build a self contained customer service outlet within a local council building. It will be self contained with security access for staff only. The area to the left bounded by the green walls is the staff area where a maximum of 3 people with be at any time. The majority of times will be 1 or 2 staff members. The public area to the right of that will be separated by security screens floor to ceiling. The architects have designed in an escape hatch through the screen as shown in the event of a fire. I have no idea why the door at 2 will not suffice as this will be the main entry/eg…

Hi, We have just taken on the management of a converted manor house into flats. In the communal area there is one door which leads down to a basement containing the boiler system and electric meters etc. The ceiling in the basement is not plaster boarded at all and the floorboards to the flats above are visible. My understanding is that this would need a lot of work to bring it up to standard. Is there any way around this? It has been mentioned that by implementing a full Evacuation Policy with a Fire Alarm System could be the way around this? This will probably be required anyway as the Property is not likely going to be able to support a 'Stay Put' policy…

Hi, I recently moved into a new build apartment in Manchester and the front door to my apartment has a quite large gap at the bottom (4cm) the apartment door leads to the hallway with other apartments which all seem to have similar sized gaps . I’ve attached images . What could be the reason for these large gaps and does this affect fire & smoke compliance