Suppose you’re the proud owner of a new building or have just managed a building refurbishment. In that case, you should be able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour (or the labour of others).
Everything you see is shiny, new and compliant. Well, you’d like to think so.
My teams are finding more and more instances of ductwork installations in new(ish) buildings that are not fit for purpose, and here’s why.
All ductwork requires access points throughout. It’s not optional, it’s essential.
Access panels and builder’s hatches are needed for the ongoing maintenance and safety of several site services. That could be cleaning to ensure healthy air quality, grease extract cleaning to prevent catastrophic fires, or smoke and fire damper testing. All are critical health and safety requirements.
BESA, ASFP and BSRIA collaborated on the guide Firestopping of Service Penetrations Best Practice in Design & Installation, the foreword to which was written by Dame Judith Hackitt. It recognises the need for standardisation in the installation of fire stopping services, suggesting that a single manufacturer of fire stopping products is selected for an entire new build.
I believe this needs to go further. Installation of ductwork and associated services must be completed to set standards. Standards give clear guidance to contractors and confidence to building owners. Installations would be fit for purpose, and it would eliminate the risk of high-cost remedial works further down the line.
Documentation and records of installations need to be created and retained for future reference too.
Ductwork installation standards exist, but are they being employed and adhered to? Clearly not.
DW145 is Guide to Good Practice for Fire and Smoke Dampers is a good example. Described by BESA as “Highlighting the basic principles in the design and installation process, this guide also identifies the responsibilities of designers, builders, manufacturers, local authorities, mechanical services, ductwork and other specialist contractors. It identifies, clearly and concisely, the matters that must be addressed when fire and/or smoke dampers are to be installed within a building’s ventilation ductwork system.”
I know standards such as DW145 are not being employed. If they were, my teams would not be supporting clients with such a high volume of remedial works. When we are testing site services or cleaning ductwork, we have to start knocking holes in walls, installing hatches or cutting into the ductwork. The remedial work required is an unnecessary expense that no building owner or occupier should have to carry. But it happens — a lot.
How can we make the construction industry take this seriously? Should building regulations cover this?
Currently, The Building Regulations and British Standards require “ductwork systems which are installed within a building to be designed to prevent fire and smoke transferring through the building and put at risk the protected means of escape routes from the accommodation areas.”
Without appropriate access for fire system testing, i.e. smoke and fire dampers, this standard is only upheld for 12 months – as dampers require annual testing. Of course, after 12 months, the original contractor is long gone, and it’s up to the building occupants or landlord to pay the price.
I must emphasise; this is not optional. Testing of critical safety services, such as fire dampers must be completed throughout an entire building – no exceptions. It is not just a compliance issue. If a fire breaks out, and a smoke or fire damper fails to activate, it can mean the difference of life or death to the occupants of the building.
How can we avoid the situation my team found just a few weeks ago, a major retailer occupies a building which is less than 3 years old and there is not a single access panel in their ductwork. Not one. In my opinion that’s not just remiss, it shows a complete disregard for critical fire systems.
There’s clearly a desire out the back of Grenfell to change the behaviour of the building industry. What more can we do to communicate these standards?
