Important notice for anyone responsible

for fire systems such as SPRINKLERS

Periodic system inspection / Hazard reviews

The upkeep of your sprinkler installations is important.

The sprinkler industry was one of, if not the first fire safety sub-sector to recognise the benefits of carrying out third party inspections (TPI) also known as supervision a long time before TPI became common jargon in the wider construction industry.

But there are some important nuances worth considering both in the sprinkler and particularly the wider fire safety industry:

•  There is no legal obligation for TPI;
•  Consecutive governments have not mandated   regulated supervision;
•  Some important fire safety elements of buildings are   subject to relatively low fire safety suparvision and   we’re unaware of any official list indicating which   specific sub-sector’s should be supervised, for   example a fire rated wall is often the last line of   defence against fire, but the supervision of   construction works varies across the industry;
•  TPI is not always what you might expect, for example:
•  Some UKAS approved certification companies   restrict their registered contractors from taking   any design responsibility;
•  TPI often comprises of the pre-arranged review of   registered contractor office procedures and the   sampling of a limited number of sites;
•  TPI certification companies rarely inspect every   construction site carried out by their registered   contractors;
•  TPI terms and conditions can include disclaimers   which absolve them from any responsibility.

Our assumption is the government repudiation so far to place absolute confidence in third party fire safety bodies is because such entities and their supervision is invariably carried out by independent private companies.

Fire Risk Engineers Ltd are well aware of these potential shortfalls so, as an independent private company are committed to working strictly in accordance with industry guidance, best known industry standards and continuously improving competence in all tasks.

Compliance with the regulatory reform order is foremost in our objectives to ensure sprinkler systems are regularly inspected and correctly maintained.

What are the implications

If following a fire subsequent investigations show the sprinkler system has been inspected and maintained by a competent person this will help the responsible stakeholders demonstrate having taken reasonable steps to comply with legal obligations.

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What will we do

We will carry out a survey of sprinkler protected areas including a review of any drawings and documentation available.

The following is a brief list of general points that we will review:

•  Structural alterations and additions;
•  New buildings, mezzanines, offices etc;
•  Change of use of protected areas;
•  New hazards or process changes;
•  Storage height, configuration and clearance;
•  In-rack protection compliance;
•  Sprinkler system alterations;
•  Ambient temperatures and frost protection;
•  Condition of systems, painting, shielding;
•  Interface with other systems;
•  Maintenance and servicing.

Our survey will be followed by a detailed report

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With over 30 years fire safety experience, 20 years directly in the design, installation and commissioning of fire sprinkler systems, our fully qualified engineers have the expertise to carry out periodic third party inspections of sprinkler systems, also known as a hazard review.

As well as working on traditional commercial and industrial sprinkler systems, we also have experience of residential systems and the many varied types of water mist system to UK standards, as well as having expertise in FM Global, NFPA, Vds and TÜV standards and many international company standards.