Completing a large construction project requires balancing between priorities and anticipating future challenges and adverse events. It’s very easy to get too focused on one aspect and let something important slip through. In particular, measures for mitigating fire risks are rarely on the shortlist of concerns that keep developers awake at night, at least until something goes wrong. Forgetting to take care of fire safety can have tremendous consequences – legal, financial, or reputational.
If you start thinking about fire safety once the building is nearly finished, you might find yourself playing from behind. Instead, this facet of construction needs to be an integral part of your plan and should affect decision-making at every stage of the project.
Awareness of the Current Fire Safety Regulations in the UK
The first reason to pay attention to fire safety in your new building is that the law requires it. A number of legal acts clearly outline the obligations and skirting them could land you in hot water even if no accident ever occurs. That’s why the project team needs to be made aware of the regulations that pertain to the type of building being constructed, and instructed to take them seriously. It’s much easier to implement all the required fire safety mechanisms during the planning phase when it’s still possible to alter the design. That’s especially important for buildings located in densely populated areas or close to other properties that could be affected by safety failures. Speaking in general terms, during this stage, it’s most essential to place enough fire exits to cover the entire building and to map out evacuation routes leading from every floor and section to those exits along the shortest path.
Organizing Interior Space to Prevent the Spread of Fire
The floor layout and planned purpose of the building impact the appropriate level of fire protection necessary for each of its parts. An office building could be well served with standard fire safety measures, but those used for industrial processes are likely to need additional protection. Occupancy levels and the need to move between sections also need to be taken into account. Since this can’t always be predicted with certainty while the building is being constructed, it makes sense to play it safe and prepare for the worst-case scenario. It’s not just about preventing a significant fire, as contingency plans must be in place for instances when a fire keeps gaining strength despite the best efforts to extinguish it. For this reason, commercial fire door installations must be positioned in critical spots that separate different parts of the structure. In this way, it’s possible to confine the flames to the section where the incident started and keep the damage to a minimum.
Maintaining Fire Safety Equipment in Working Condition
The job on keeping the building safe from fire risks doesn’t end once the construction work is finished, as this is an ongoing task. It’s little use to have extinguishers, fire blankets, or sprinklers placed in the most optimal positions if half of them are out of order. That’s why UK fire safety regulations proscribe not only the type and quantity of the equipment but also the intervals in which it must be checked out and fixed if necessary. In practice, that means you can’t perform fire door remedials only when there is visible damage, but rather on a regular basis at specified dates. In some situations (i.e. when new tenants enter the building or interior renovations are done), building owners should enact full fire drills combined with a comprehensive inspection of the entire fire safety system. You never know when this equipment will be needed but when that moment it can save lives and spare the building from utter destruction – only if it is in good condition
Should You Hire a Fire Safety Consultant?
This is a difficult question that requires careful deliberation. Some construction companies and investors consider hiring external professionals to be a needless expense, preferring to rely on their own personnel. Others see it as the only way to be absolutely sure that all legal requirements are met and that the building will be well protected =. Fire safety consultants can be hired on a permanent or ad hoc basis depending on several factors such as the estimated level of risk, availability of in-house experts, project budget and timelines, etc. At the very least, this is a step that should be seriously taken into consideration for specific stages of the project. Doing a thorough inspection before opening the building to the public or offering it for sale is the surest way to preserve peace of mind and eliminate any chance that something important was missed during the rush to the finish line.
