At FDS Contracting, we consider ourselves a pro-active solutions provider that is committed to providing safety through concise fire safety design and implementation. It’s this drive that has led us to adopt recommendations from the revised RIBA Plan of Work for Fire Safety.
The RIBA Plan of Work for Fire Safety
The RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) is the professional body for architects, both here in the UK and globally. It drives excellence in architecture by serving its members and society to deliver better buildings and places, creating a more sustainable environment that harbours stronger communities.
In September 2018, the RIBA launched a consultation on a new Plan of Work for Fire Safety. In the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, the institute highlighted the need for a change in building regulations, strengthening several requirements including means of escape. It’s clear that post-Grenfell an independent review of building regulations and fire safety is required.
Current regulation in the form of Approved Documents B, as provided by Building Regulations, includes clear guidance. However, over the years, it has become over-complicated, too prescriptive and open to interpretation with multiple options and alternatives.
The ADB guidelines are not laid out in a way that reflects the design process and are seen by the industry as difficult to follow, lacking a transparent method for tracking completion or compliance.
However, it’s going to take more than a change in regulations. The industry needs to take a seismic shift towards adopting a new culture and act upon existing complacencies. The RIBA Plan of Work for Fire Safety looks to offer a common-sense protocol to achieve this objective.
The Plan of Work acts as a critical resource for design and construction teams, providing clarity on the roles and responsibilities of fire safety at each stage of the process. The revised Plan of Work for Fire Safety was introduced in June 2019. It demonstrates increased scrutiny on the preparation of fire strategy, fire specification and materials. It also provides a set of precise management tools that will enable project owners to ensure compliance and record issues.
The Plan of Work for Fire Safety is an explicit action by the RIBA to incentivise a change in the industry. It’s now down to industry leaders to adopt these changes to ensure fire safety in all buildings.
FDS Contracting
As experts in fire safety, FDS Contracting have been avidly keeping pace with the preparation of the revised RIBA Plan of Work for Fire Safety. It’s been clear to us for some time that the industry needs to take the lead in delivering improved fire safety for all buildings.
We actively encourage early engagement, which provides clear benefits to a project with regards to specification, design and rationalisation. It’s with strategic consultation that projects can achieve compliance, provide complete effectiveness and also meet budgetary requirements.
Alongside early engagement, we boast a seamless service that can transition a project from specification through to completion and ongoing service and maintenance. This seamless service provides a ‘Golden Thread’ of information that runs throughout the entirety of the project. The benefits of using a full-service consultant like FDS Contracting are clear; and have been merited in the recent Hackitt report, which suggests a single solutions provider is essential to ensure safer buildings for all occupants.
Conclusion
It’s clear to us that as a leader in our field, we are best positioned to manage fire safety projects from specification, through design and implementation and onto service and maintenance. It’s a testament to our experience and high level of expertise that we feel compelled to offer this complete seamless service, encouraging our client to rely solely on FDS Contracting for fire safety.
If you’re looking to enlist a fire safety specialist onto your latest project, then speak to the team at FDS Contracting. We’ll be able to highlight the benefits that only a full-service consultant can bring to your project.
