Tough new rules designed to strengthen fire testing for cladding
systems on residential buildings were published for consultation
today (11 April 2018) by Housing Secretary .
The consultation, which aim to improve building safety, will look
at restricting or banning the use of ‘desktop studies’ as a way
of assessing the fire performance of external cladding systems.
The revisions come directly as a result of the recommendations
made by Dame Judith Hackitt in her interim report from the review
into building regulations and fire safety published last year.
Government is also going further by asking whether ‘desktop
studies’ should be used at all.
The consultation is seeking views on whether ‘desktop studies’
are appropriate for all construction products, wall systems
(cladding) or for any other purpose.
If ‘desktop studies’ are deemed appropriate, the proposed changes
include improving the transparency of assessments, enabling
proper scrutiny of results and ensuring that the studies can only
be carried out by properly accredited bodies that have the
relevant expertise.
These proposals are subject to a full consultation that will end
on 25 May 2018.
Housing Secretary, said:
We have listened carefully to Dame Judith Hackitt and we are
taking action to strengthen building regulations guidance,
which could mean that the use of ‘desktop studies’ are either
significantly restricted or banned altogether.
This demonstrates the tough measures we are prepared to take to
make sure that cladding tests are as robust as possible and
people are safe in their homes.
Desktop studies
Assessment in lieu of tests, also known as ‘desktop studies’ are
an established part of the system for classifying the fire
performance of construction products and systems set out
in paragraph 1b of Annex A of
Approved Document B.
Their use is being considered as part of Dame Judith
Hackitt’s independent review into
Building Regulations and Fire Safety established by
government following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy. Her final
report will be published in the spring.
See further details of the consultation.
The deadline for consultation responses is 25 May. Once closed
the department will consider all the comments received and
provide a response as soon as possible.
New British Standard
Government has commissioned the British Standards Institution
(BSI) to draft a standard for the extended application of BS8414
results. This will provide detailed rules for assessments
relating to cladding systems, in support of the new proposed
requirements. Once the new British Standard is introduced for
cladding systems, following it would be the expectation.
