The role of codes, standards and approvals in delivering fire safety

BRE (The Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries.

BRE’s Information Paper, The role of codes, standards and approvals in delivering fire safety (IP 5/16) was written by Sarah Colwell and published by IHS on 7 September 2016.

New and emerging markets bring with them an increasing need to demonstrate compliance with a wide range of codes and standards, and this has the potential to cause confusion between the performance of products when tested and the evidence needed to meet different local requirements.

Traditionally, there have been two types of safety requirements relevant to fire suppression products:

• Life safety.
• Property protection.

This Information Paper:

• Identifies the processes used to test and approve fire suppression products.
• Discusses the risks of assuming compatibility between different codes and standards.
• Considers the differences between the types of documentary evidence used to support products in the form of test reports compared with third-party certification.
• Discusses the importance of the appropriate design, installation and maintenance of systems, with possibilities for mitigating risks for the building owner or occupier.

It is aimed at specifiers, designers, regulators and manufacturers.

Its contents include:

• Which building codes?
• Selection of design and installation standards.
• Product performance standards.
• Testing.
• Certification.
• CE marking and third-party approval.
• Conclusion.
• References.

--BRE Group

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Approved document B.
• BRE articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
• BS EN 3.
• BS 7974.
• BS 9999.
• BS EN 13501-1.
• Building Research Establishment.
• CE marking
• Code of practice.
• Common principles of International Fire Safety Standard introduced.
• Consultation opens for code of practice for fire risk appraisal and assessment of external wall construction.
• Fire blanket.
• Fire detection and alarm system.
• Fire detector.
• Fire performance of external thermal insulation for walls of multistorey buildings, third edition (BR 135).
• Fire protection engineering.
• Fire safety design.
• Fire safety officer.
• Fire suppression.
• Fire.
• Ionisation smoke alarm.
• Joint fire code.
• Managing fire risk in commercial buildings: A guide for facilities managers.
• Optical smoke alarm.
• Smoke detector.
• The causes of false fire alarms in buildings.
• UN approves International Fire Safety Standards common principles.
• Understanding the factors affecting flashover of a fire in modern buildings.