A service penetration through a fire-separating element may well be viewed as a minor element of a compartment wall or floor, but their importance cannot be understated. We talk to Bob Westcombe, UK Fire Protection Manager at ROCKWOOL about mechanical and electrical service penetrations in buildings, the principal design considerations for this critically important fire safety element and the importance of independent third-party certification and technical evaluations.
Why are penetrations seals so important?
Compartment walls and floors often require fire resistance ratings, and ensuring appropriate safety measures such as sealing service penetrations through these elements is critical for protecting occupants and facilitating escape by slowing the spread of fire. Maintaining the fire resistance ratings of these compartment elements is essential, and site managers should be especially conscious of where voids and penetrations from building services installations bypass compartment lines.
What are the key design considerations when it comes firestopping in service penetrations?
There are a number of important factors that developers should consider when specifying effective firestopping penetrations seals, and a few examples among the many are substrate type, size of opening, service types and spacings. Manufacturers must provide specifiers and developers with appropriately tested and certified firestopping products, enabling them to meet the fire ratings required for their application depending on the type and use of the building in question.
Manufacturers and suppliers of firestopping products can usually add the most value when consulted early in the specification process for penetration seals and similar solutions. In this situation, the supplier can provide advice that fully takes into account the field of application, and help the specification team to avoid ad-hoc solutions which may incur additional costs and delays.
Who is ultimately responsible for penetration seals?
Simply put, every individual involved in specifying and installing fire protection provisions has a degree of responsibility for their utility and operation in the event of a fire. Responsibility does not end following design, supply, installation or even building handover – once the building is occupied, regular and effective maintenance is essential, and a responsible person must be appointed to ensure that penetration seals and other firestopping solutions are being appropriately maintained.
How can penetration seals within fire-separating elements comply with the Building Regulations?
Suppliers can help specifiers to ensure compliance by stringently testing all of their products, and ensuring that the solutions provided are certified for the specific applications in which they will be used.
Developers should also try to take advantage of third-party certification schemes for both products and installers, as these can give additional assurances of reliability and safety.
Can you briefly outline the importance of independent third-party certification and technical evaluations?
The use of independent, third-party certification and accreditation schemes is recognised within Approved Document B, and is a valuable mechanism for ensuring quality and safety as receiving credible third-party certification shows that the product received is the same as the product tested through the manufacturing auditing process. In this situation, the manufacturer’s claims of performance have been further checked by the third party certifier.
When working with third-party notified bodies, developers should look for certifiers that are UKAS accredited. As the UK’s national accreditation body, UKAS helps developers to identify reliable third-party certifiers and provides an additional element of certainty that the product they receive meets the specification referenced in the test report.
Technical evaluations are also useful, especially where minor product changes are required or dedicated quality testing is not available, but care should be taken on who carries out the evaluation and how the result is used. On the whole, manufacturers’ assessments are not equal to assessments from notified bodies or ratified test houses, and should be reviewed by the overseeing bodies on-site for a final opinion before the product is used.
The Association for Specialist Fire Protection can offer guidance on the suggested qualification levels for those who carry out technical evaluations, and the Passive Fire Protection Federation can provide similar guidance on the processes and relevant experience required for assessments, much of which will also be relevant to the manufacturer’s own evaluation process.
Ultimately, independent third-party certification and technical evaluations have an important role to play within the overall quality assurance process for firestopping solutions, although caution should be taken when considering the credibility of the third-party assessor in question, and any non-obvious conflicts of interest should be stated.
A new Best Practice Design and Installation Guide, Firestopping of Service Penetrations, produced by five leading not-for-profit organisations representing the wider construction and fire safety industries, will enable a project team to meet their obligations to deliver a safe and secure project in terms of penetration seals.
The number one goal is to ensure fire safety in performance, both now and also in the future. It is a conversation that should be between all parties including the manufacturer, architect, specialist installer, fire engineer and M & E consultants. Everyone involved in the provision of a fire protection package, at any level, shares liability for its effectiveness and performance when needed in a fire. If properly designed, effective compartmentation is a major measure to protect life safety and buildings.
The Best Practice Design and Installation Guide, Firestopping of Service Penetrations is available to download on each of the associations’ websites: