Fire Risk Management

The user should familiarise themselves with Part 1 of the guidance which presents the terminology and background.

 

Part 2 provides guidance on the use of standard timber frame. It provides mitigation measures, if required, to remove a risk of high radiant heat potential to buildings outside of the site boundary can be undertaken within the construction process.

 

Part 3 provides the user with timber frame supply chain solutions to mitigate risk of high radiant heat. A list of tested and approved products noted in Part 3 will be available on the UKTFA web site under the ‘Approved fire build products’ tab.

The document has been written with a focus on timber frame buildings that are typically above 600m² of floor area, or where the development comprises blocks of timber frame buildings where each block is greater than 300m² of floor area.

 

The guidance is aimed at the commercial construction market where multiple houses, flats or rooms for residential purposes are built. It is not applicable to the one-off house market or small developments.

 

It is anticipated that architects, CDM co-ordinators, project managers, timber frame companies, builders, HSE inspectors, insurance inspectors and product suppliers will all find this guidance of use.

Press enquires
emma@futurepr.uk.com or call 07545 321675 

 

Technical enquries relating to the documentation
martin@milnerassociates.co.uk

 

General enquries relating to the documentation
paul.newman@kingspan.com

On Thursday 10^th November, the UKTFA previewed the ‘Design Guide to Separating Distances for Timber Frame During Construction’ at a closed event for industry stakeholders.

 

The event, held at RIBA HQ in London was used as an opportunity to profile and engage with critical industry leaders to gain feedback and ultimately, endorsement of this ground-breaking work that will pave the way for timber frame as a safe and sustainable build method.

 

The Guidance is being launched to the construction and insurance community, the fire authorities, timber trade associations and central Government. This really is a significant step in ensuring the future of timber frame as a fit-all solution and I was delighted and proud to see over 150 delegates join us at RIBA for the preview.  Our headline speaker for the morning event was Paul Morrell, Government Chief Construction Adviser.

In addition to Paul we were absolutely delighted to welcome Gavin Bye from the HSE Construction team.

 

We were also delighted to be joined by Dave Curry, representing the Chief Fire Officers Association.  Arguably, the stakeholder with the greatest vested interest in limiting the risk of fire on construction sites.  Dave gave us a very a candid view of the issues and was fully supportive of the Guidance, its implementation and the effectiveness of the working relationship.  Dave reminded the audience that every build method has its draw backs in fire risk terms but applauded the UKTFA in very sincere terms for the work that we have achieved – he said it was unfortunate that other build methods did not take the same responsible approach.

 

I would also like to mention the other speakers that joined us on the day: David Renwick from Ocean Housing Group Limited gave us the client’s perspective.  Nick Starling from the Association of British Insurers applauded us for our responsible approach to fire risk management.  And Barry Munday from the Housing Forum and Peter Caplehorn from Scott Brownrigg Architects.

 

Simon Orrells

Chairman, UKTFA

Q. Are all flame retardants acceptable?
A. No – Flame Retardants (FR) come in many different chemical formulations and work in different ways. The FR Build name given to the flame retardants acceptable to the UKTFA are those that have been assessed for compatibility to timber frame during the construction process.A list of tested and approved FR Build products will be available on the UKTFA web site under approved fire build products tab. 

 

Q. Are all non-combustible board products acceptable?
A. Non-combustible boards that have a EN fire test that a third party UKAS laboratory has credited the product with Euro class A1 or A2 is acceptable. Other boards will require to be tested within the UKTFA test programme.Additional aspects of insulation requirements are presented in the supporting paper 3 – FS build.

 

Q. Are all insulation products acceptable?
A. Testing is required on the insulation products that are available for timber frame. Testing in the UKTFA test programme has noted a number of products that are acceptable. A competent fire engineer should be asked to consider the impact of the insulation during the build process and as to the impact it can have on timber frame radiant heat. A list of tested and approved FR Build products will be available on the UKTFA web site under approved fire build products tab. Additional aspects of insulation requirements are presented in the Supporting Paper 2 – FI Build.

 

Q. If I have a material which I consider to be appropriate for a Category B or C what do I need to do?
A. Testing in the UKTFA test programme is required for submission on to the list of tested and approved products that is posted on the UKTFA web site.

 

Q. Who will check that that guidance is being followed?
A. HSE has reviewed and agreed with the guidance. If the designer wishes to adopt an alternative approach than a competent fire engineer should be engaged to provide proposals for HASE to approve.

 

Q. If a product is not listed on the UKTFA web site does that mean I cannot use it?
A. HSE has reviewed and agreed with the guidance for the products tested in the UKTFA programme. The insurance industry and fire service has also had an input into the approach and testing verification. Alternatives to the products listed by the UKTFA can be submitted to the HSE for approval on the basis that the product and construction will provide the required level of risk mitigation required for the project. The UKTFA guidance is to support ease of acceptance and to demonstrate how to enable timber frame to be constructed in an appropriate manner in all construction site developments.

 

Q. If I include windows frames and glazing as part of the as delivered product to the site, will this reduce the potential radiant heat outputs and allow an enhanced grade of category?
A. The testing undertaken is based on the windows being absent. The presence of fully glazed and closed windows will reduce the ventilation in building which may in turn have an impact on the growth of a fire. However, a fire may have sufficient ventilation in the “during “construction state to allow it to become a significant fire if a fuel source is present. Under a condition where a fire has built up a degree of momentum the glass in a window can crack the fire can spread as it does in completed occupied buildings. It is pointed out that radiant heat can pass through glass within a window and it cannot be considered as risk mitigation against radiant heat. Windows installed and glazed will provide a deterrent against unofficial access to the building and is considered appropriate to provide resistance to arson attack.

 

Q. From which date can we expect sites to be compliant with the Guidance?
A. The guidance is to be used now for projects that would benefit from the information provided. Current projects may have fire engineering assessment which can be used in place of the guidance.

 

Q. How do contractors confirm they have designed their schemes in line with the Guidance?
A. The output from the guidance is to be used in the risk assessments and adoption of the information is to be actioned accordingly. The HSE will be looking for appropriate risk assessments covering the off-site risk of fire spread as requested in the HSG168.

 

Q. Can we expect to see the HSE come down hard on contractors that have not complied with the Guidance?
A. The HSE will require an appropriate risk assessment of the potential for off the site fire growth and the UKTFA guidance is one method on how to achieve this. A competent fire engineer can be appointed to assess difficult sites and provide independent risk assessment. Failure to consider the off-site risks may result in the HSE stopping the site works.

 

Q. Can contractors still engage with non-members of the UKTFA to deliver schemes in high-risk areas?
A.The UKTFA members have training and information presented to them to enable a better understanding of the issues that may arise.

 

Q. How does this Guidance ensure that all timber frame manufacturers are quoting for the same Category of timber frame?
A. It is envisaged that the designers of the schemes will take the three categories of timber frame through to the procurement stage. The UKTFA risk assessment check list provides guidance on this aspect.

 

Q.What is the next stage in the evolution of this Guidance?
A. More compliant systems will be tested and posted on to the UKTFA web site. As more experience and data is presented the guidance will be updated.The test procedure is being considered as a standard and a committee will be established through the BSI structures to deliver this.

 

Q. Can I combine categories?
For example Category A with Category C, or Category A with Category B, or Category B with Category C?
A.The combination of categories is a complex consideration which for accurate assessment a competent fire engineer should be employed to consider and make recommendations. For simplicity and conservative assessment the following can be adopted:

Technical papers:

Technical Paper 1
Separating distances technical background report by UKTFA fire engineering consultants – FERMI

 

Technical Paper 2
Summary of timber frame categories to reduce separating distances and information for fire engineering modelling and test compliance requirements for each category

 

Technical Paper 3
Product test methodology for category compliance

 

Product compliance:

Product Paper 1
Flame Retardant – FR Build product compliance

 

Product Paper 2
Insulation – FI Build product compliance

 

Product Paper 3
Sheathing and decking – FC Build product compliance

 

 

1 December 2011

 

HSE backs UKTFA Guidance to deal with timber frame construction site fires

The UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA) has today launched the definitive Guidance to building timber frame safely on sites in high-risk and densely populated areas, developed with the backing of the HSE. The Guidance will drive the issue of fire risk management right back to the early stages of the specification process and ensure the main contractor has fully managed the fire risk and specified the correct type of timber frame in line with the Guidance.

 

Critically, this Guidance means that timber frame can be built in any location in the UK relative to the fire risk associated with highly populated or inner city areas. Called ‘Design guide to separating distances for timber frame buildings during construction’, the Guidance is the result of extensive fire testing and expert input from the fire engineering community and has been developed in co-­operation with the HSE, the Fire Protection Association (FPA), the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) and the Fire Brigade Union (FBU).

 

Dr. Paul Newman, Director of the UKTFA says “Managing the risk of fire on construction sites is not a consideration for the timber frame community alone, it affects all forms of construction. The UKTFA has paved the way in setting a standard for main contractors to follow when managing site safety. We are delighted that the HSE and CFOA consider our Guidance worthy of their endorsement and pleased that they felt able to commend our proactive approach in setting fire safety standards.”

 

Philip White, chief inspector of construction, Health & Safety Executive, comments: “There have been a number of dramatic examples in recent years of the damage that construction site fires can cause to neighbouring properties. HSE has been working closing with the UKTFA on assessing off-­site fire risk and we welcome its new guidance. UKTFA’s Separating Distance Guidance is based on the latest scientific knowledge and provides the industry with a sound basis to help control the risks of projects involving timber frame structures.”

 

The Guidance, which applies to structures over 600m2, is aimed at architects, designers,developers and contractors, enabling them to fully extract the benefits of timber frame construction and also assess the fire risk to neighboring buildings should a fire occur during construction – this was a requirement of HSG168 ‘Fire Safety in Construction’ published by the HSE in October 2010. This Guidance is confined to the period during construction prior to the completion of fire resistant finishes.

 

The supporting technical data in this Guidance is based on extensive fire testing, carried out in August 2011 by the UKTFA, to determine the appropriate separating distances between buildings to minimise the heat radiation to neighbouring properties in the event of a construction site fire. As a result of this test data, three generic categories of timber frame have been evolved with increasing resistance to fire spread and associated reduction in emitted heat to neighbouring properties. The user of this Guidance can select either a Category A, B or C frame type depending on the site conditions and distances to surrounding buildings – the critical point is that a recommended timber frame solution can be specified to suit the individual site location and conditions, no matter how challenging, even in densely populated inner city developments.

 

The Guidance is available for download from www.uktfa.com/fireriskmanagement

 

Ends

 

For further editorial information or to speak to the UKTFA please contact Emma Hayes on
07545 321 675 or emma@futurepr.uk.com

Products tested and accepted
Products, components and systems that have been tested and found to pass the criteria established by the UKTFA are listed below:

 

1. FI Build – Insulation Materials
The insulation products listed below have been tested:
• Kingspan Therma TW55
• Kingspan Kooltherm K12

 

Product application
As an insulation installed between IWS/Arch FR Build approved wall Studs.

 

Ignition tests
Tested on 16/08/11 and 17/08/11 at BPAC, Scotland under the review of Paul Scott and Dr Richard Bettis.

 

Room Tests
Tested on 05/09/11, 06/09/11 and 07/09/11 at Little Rissington under the review of Paul Scott and Dr Richard Bettis.

 

Category compliance
Category B Structures – Kingspan Therma TW55 and Kingspan Kooltherm K12 can be incorporated in wall structures (studs and sheathing) treated with IWS FR Build.

 

2. FR Build – Flame Retardant
The FR Build flame retardant treatment listed below has been tested:
• IWS/Arch flame retardant treatment – to FR Build approval

 

Product application
Factory QA applied treatment to softwood plywood and sawn timber sections used as studs, rails, joists and other solid wood and plywood components of conventional timber frame structures. The treated material is used for wall framing (studs, rails and sheathing) and for floor structures (decking, joists, rim beams).

 

Ignition tests
Tested on 16/08/11 and 17/08/11 at BPAC, Scotland under the review of Paul Scott and Dr Richard Bettis.

 

Room Tests
Tested on 05/09/11, 06/09/11 and 07/09/11 at Little Rissington under the review of Paul Scott and Dr Richard Bettis.

 

Category compliance
Category B Structures – IWS treated products can be incorporated into Category B Structures as described below:

 

1. Used as an FR Build treatment on timber studs, rails and 9mm ply sheathing, as open timber frame panels, combined with floor structures with treated timber joists and rims with 18mm FR Build ply decking.

 

2. Used as an FR Build treatment on timber studs, rails and 9mm ply sheathing, as open timber frame panels, combined with floor structures with treated timber open web joists (MiTek, Gang Nail, ITW, Wolf) and timber rims with 18mm FR Build ply decking.

 

Category C Structures – IWS treated products can be incorporated into Category C Structures as described below:

 

1. Used as an FR Build treatment to timber studs, rails and 9mm FS Build non-combustible sheathing, as open timber frame panels, combined with floor structures using FR Build treatment to timber joists and rims and 18mm FR Build ply decking.

 

2. Used as an FR Build treatment to timber studs, rails and 9mm FS Build non-combustible sheathing, as open timber frame panels, combined with floor structures using FR Build treatment to timber open web joists (MiTek, Gang Nail, ITW, Wolf) and timber rims and 18mm FR Build ply decking.

 

3. FS Build – Sheathing Materials
Sheathing boards that meet the requirements of Class A1 and Class A2 following classification to EN 13501-1: 2002: Fire Classification of Construction Products and Building Elements: Part 1: Classification using test data from reaction to fire tests, can be used in all Category’s – A, B and C without further testing.