Hide this message. Home Building regulations. Collection Approved Documents. These contain: general guidance on the performance expected of materials and building work in order to comply with the building regulations practical examples and solutions on how to achieve compliance for some of the more common building situations The fully searchable PDF of the complete Approved Documents is available to download.
Explore the topic Building regulations. Is this page useful? This edition of the approved document replaces the edition including all amendments. There are no changes from the previous edition to the technical guidance within Approved Document B. At the end of the co-existence period the national standard will be withdrawn.
The Fire Safety Order reforms the law relating to fire safety in non-domestic premises. It imposes a general duty to take such fire precautions as may be reasonably required to ensure that premises are safe for the occupants and those in the immediate vicinity. By virtue of the Order, the responsible person is required to carry out a fire risk assessment of their premises.
This must be a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions they need to take to comply with the requirements under the Order.
Although these requirements are applicable to premises whilst in operation, it would be useful for the designers of a building to carry out a preliminary fire risk assessment as part of the design process. If a preliminary risk assessment is produced, it can be used as part of the Building Regulations submission and can assist the fire safety enforcing authority in providing advice.
Article 6 of the Order does exclude some premises such as certain mines, vehicles and land forming part of an agricultural or forestry undertaking.
The Order applies to all non-domestic premises, which includes the common parts of block of flats and HMOs. Guidance on the consultation procedures that should be adopted to ensure that the requirements of all enforcing authorities are addressed at Building Regulation Approval stage is contained in Building Regulation and Fire Safety — Procedural Guidance, published jointly by CLG and the Welsh Assembly Government.
There may be other Statutes enforced by the local authority or the fire and rescue authority that may be applied to premises of specific uses once they are occupied. The licensing of HMOs is typically overseen by the Local Authority who may require additional precautions over and above this guidance. The Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations contain some requirements which affect building design. The Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations apply to the common parts of flats and similar buildings if people such as cleaners, wardens and caretakers are employed to work in these common parts.
Where the requirements of the Building Regulations that are covered by this Part do not apply to dwellings, the provisions may still be required in the situations described above in order to satisfy the Workplace Regulations.
The purpose of this Approved Document is to provide guidance on the fire safety requirements for the completed building. It does not address the risk of fire during the construction work which is covered by the Construction Design and Management Regulations and the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order. When the construction work is being carried out on a building which, apart from the construction site part of the building, is occupied, the Fire and Rescue Authority is responsible for the enforcement of the Regulations in respect of fire.
Where the building is unoccupied, the Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcement on the construction site. Requirements under Part B of the Building Regulations and the guidance in this Approved Document are made for the purpose of ensuring the health and safety of people in and around buildings.
The Environment Agency publishes guidance on the design and construction of buildings for the purpose of protecting the environment. It is aimed at medium to large and small, high-risk commercial and industrial sites and sets out requirements for the construction of containment areas for contaminated water and such other measures. It should be noted that compliance with the Building Regulations does not depend upon compliance with other such guidance.
Volume 1 deals solely with dwellinghouses see Appendix E and Building Regulation 2 1 , while Volume 2 deals with all other types of building covered by the Building Regulations. Where very large over 18m in height or unusual dwellinghouses are proposed, some of the guidance in Volume 2 may be needed to supplement that given by Volume 1. The requirement is reproduced at the start of the relevant Sections, followed by an introduction to the subject.
B1: To ensure satisfactory provision of means of giving an alarm of fire and a satisfactory standard of means of escape for persons in the event of fire in a building. B3: To ensure the stability of buildings in the event of fire; to ensure that there is a sufficient degree of fire separation within buildings and between adjoining buildings; to provide automatic fire suppression where necessary; and to inhibit the unseen spread of fire and smoke in concealed spaces in buildings.
B4: To ensure external walls and roofs have adequate resistance to the spread of fire over the external envelope and that spread of fire from one building to another is restricted. B5: To ensure satisfactory access for fire appliances to buildings and the provision of facilities in buildings to assist firefighters in the saving of life of people in and around buildings.
For example, there is a close link between the provisions for means of escape B1 and those for the control of fire growth B2 , fire containment B3 and facilities for the fire and rescue service B5. Similarly there are links between B3 and the provisions for controlling external fire spread B4 and between B3 and B5.
Interaction between these different requirements should be recognised where variations in the standard of provision are being considered. A higher standard under one of the requirements may be of benefit in respect of one or more of the other requirements. The guidance in the document as a whole should be considered as a package aimed at achieving an acceptable standard of fire safety.
Appendix F: Fire behaviour of insulating core panels used for internal structures. Details are drawn together in Appendix A to which reference is made where appropriate.
In the case of fire protection systems, reference is made to standards for systems design and installation. Standards referred to are listed in Appendix H. The use classifications are termed purpose groups and they are described in Appendix D. For small buildings, basic information on the location and nature of fire protection measures may be all that is necessary.
For larger buildings, a more detailed record of the fire safety strategy and procedures for operating and maintaining any fire protection measures of the building will be necessary. Appendix G provides advice on the sort of information that should be provided.
Building Regulations do not impose any requirements on the management of a building. However, in developing an appropriate fire safety design for a building it may be necessary to consider the way in which it will be managed. A design which relies on an unrealistic or unsustainable management regime cannot be considered to have met the requirements of the Regulations.
Once the building is in use the management regime should be maintained and any variation in that regime should be the subject of a suitable risk assessment. Failure to take proper management responsibility may result in the prosecution of an employer, building owner or occupier under legislation such as the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order To ensure that the most effective fire protection measures are applied which are appropriate to the specific property, early consultation with the main stakeholders is essential.
Building Regulations are intended to ensure that a reasonable standard of life safety is provided, in case of fire. The protection of property, including the building itself, often requires additional measures and insurers will, in general, seek their own higher standards, before accepting the insurance risk. Further information can be obtained from the FPA website: www. This gives advice on assessing the financial and social risk of school fires and advocates the use of fire suppression or additional compartmentation where the risk is justified.
Confidence that the required level of performance can be achieved will be demonstrated by the use of a system, material, product or structure which is provided under the arrangements of a product conformity certification scheme and an accreditation of installers scheme.
Third party accreditation of installers of systems, materials, products or structures provides a means of ensuring that installations have been conducted by knowledgeable contractors to appropriate standards, thereby increasing the reliability of the anticipated performance in fire.
Sprinkler protection can also sometimes be used as a compensatory feature where the provisions of this Approved Document are varied in some way. Where sprinklers are provided, it is normal practice to provide sprinkler protection throughout a building.
However, where the sprinklers are being installed as a compensatory feature to address a specific risk or hazard, it may be acceptable to protect only part of a building. There are many alternative or innovative fire suppression systems available. Where these are used, it is necessary to ensure that such systems have been designed and tested for use in buildings and are fit for their intended purpose. Note: Any sprinkler system installed to satisfy the requirements of Part B of the Building Regulations should be regarded as a life safety system.
However, there may be some circumstances where a particular life safety requirement, specified in BS or BS EN is inappropriate or unnecessary. Where pumps are used to draw water from two tanks, then each pump should be arranged to draw water from either tank and arranged so that any one pump or either tank could be isolated. The sprinkler water supplies should generally not be used as connections for other services or other fixed firefighting systems.
This is intended to include all people, including people with disabilities. Part M of the Regulations, Access to and use of buildings, requires reasonable provision for access by people to buildings. Regardless of compliance with Building Regulations, there will also be obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act for service providers and employers to consider barriers created by physical features in buildings.
People, regardless of disability, age or gender, should be able to gain access to buildings and use their facilities, both as visitors and as people who live or work in them. As such the fire safety measures incorporated into a building will need to take account of the needs of all those persons who may have access to the building.
It is not appropriate, except in exceptional circumstances, to presume that certain groups of people will be excluded from a building because of its use. The provisions set out in this Approved Document are considered to be a reasonable standard for most buildings. However, there may be some people whose specific needs are not addressed.
In some situations additional measures may be needed to accommodate these needs. This should be done on a case by case basis. Regulation 4 1 requires that any building work carried out in relation to a material alteration complies with the applicable requirements of Schedule 1 to the Regulations, while Regulation 4 3 requires that once that building work has been completed, the building as a whole must comply with the relevant requirements of Schedule 1 or, where it did not comply before, must be no more unsatisfactory than it was before the work was carried out.
However, Approved Documents are intended to provide guidance for some of the more common building situations and there may well be alternative ways of achieving compliance with the requirements. If other codes or guides are adopted, the relevant recommendations concerning fire safety in the particular publication should be followed, rather than a mixture of the publication and provisions in the relevant sections of this Approved Document.
However, there may be circumstances where it is necessary to use one publication to supplement another. Guidance documents intended specifically for assessing fire safety in existing buildings will often include provisions which are less onerous than those set out on this Approved Document or other standards applicable to new buildings. As such, these documents are unlikely to be appropriate for use where building work, controlled by the Regulations, is proposed.
Note: Buildings for some particular industrial and commercial activities presenting a special fire hazard, e. British Standards can, however, provide a useful source of information which could be used to supplement or provide an alternative to the guidance given in this Approved Document. They are issued in the DD series of publications and are of a provisional nature. They are intended to be applied on a provisional basis so that information and experience of their practical application may be obtained and the document developed.
Where the recommendations of a DD are adopted then care should be taken to ensure that the requirements of the Building Regulations are adequately met. The choice of fire safety strategy is dependent upon the way a building is designed, furnished, staffed and managed and the level of dependency of the patients. In parts of health care premises designed to be used by patients where there are people who are bedridden or who have very restricted mobility, the principle of total evacuation of a building in the event of fire may be inappropriate.
It is also unrealistic to suppose that all patients will leave without assistance. In this and other ways the specialised nature of some health care premises demands a different approach to the provision of means of escape, from much of that embodied by the guidance in this Approved Document. These documents may also be used for non-NHS health care premises.
The design of fire safety in health care premises is covered by Health Technical Memorandum HTM Guidance in support of functional provisions for healthcare premises. Part B of the Building Regulations will typically be satisfied where the guidance in that document is followed. Where work to existing healthcare premises is concerned the guidance in the appropriate section of the relevant Firecode should be followed.
Where the building is new, it may be more appropriate to regard it as being in Purpose Group 2 b. Note: Firecode contains managerial and other fire safety provisions which are outside the scope of Building Regulations.
The design of units within a shopping complex should be compatible with the fire strategy for the complex as a whole. A suitable approach is given in BS Note: BS applies more restrictive provisions to units with only one exit in covered shopping complexes. This may occur at sports events, theatres, lecture halls and conference centres etc.
Guidance on this and other aspects of means of escape in assembly buildings is given in Sections 3 and 5 of BS and the relevant recommendations concerning means of escape in case of fire of that code should be followed in appropriate cases. Part B of the Building Regulations will typically be satisfied where the life safety guidance in that document is followed.
Guidance on suitable fire safety measures in these circumstances is to be found in BS see also paragraph 8. For shopping complexes see paragraph 0. The extent will depend on the form of the development. For example, a group of specially adapted bungalows or two-storey flats, with few communal facilities, need not be treated differently from other one or two-storey dwellinghouses or flats.
It may be the only practical way to achieve a satisfactory standard of fire safety in some large and complex buildings and in buildings containing different uses, e. Fire safety engineering may also be suitable for solving a problem with an aspect of the building design which otherwise follows the provisions in this document.
Following the discipline of BS should enable designers and Building Control Bodies to be aware of the relevant issues, the need to consider the complete fire-safety system and to follow a disciplined analytical framework. These include:. Some factors in the measures listed above can be given numerical values in some circumstances. The assumptions made when quantitative methods are used need careful assessment.
In such cases it would be appropriate to take into account a range of fire safety features, some of which are dealt with in this document and some of which are not addressed in any detail and to set these against an assessment of the hazard and risk peculiar to the particular case. The building shall be designed and constructed so that there are appropriate provisions for the early warning of fire, and appropriate means of escape in case of fire from the building to a place of safety outside the building capable of being safely and effectively used at all material times.
They are concerned with the measures necessary to ensure reasonable facilities for means of escape in case of fire. They are only concerned with structural fire precautions where these are necessary to safeguard escape routes.
They assume that, in the design of the building, reliance should not be placed on external rescue by the Fire and Rescue Service nor should it be based on a presumption that the Fire and Rescue Service will attend an incident within a given time.
This Approved Document has been prepared on the basis that, in an emergency, the occupants of any part of a building should be able to escape safely without any external assistance. Special considerations, however, apply to some institutional buildings in which the principle of evacuation with assistance from staff is necessary.
Where it is not possible to identify with any certainty any of these elements, a judgement as to the likely level of provision must be made. Initially a fire will create a hazard only in the part in which it starts and it is unlikely, at this stage, to involve a large area. The fire may subsequently spread to other parts of the building, usually along the circulation routes.
The items that are the first to be ignited are often furnishings and other items not controlled by the regulations. It is less likely that the fire will originate in the structure of the building itself and the risk of it originating accidentally in circulation areas, such as corridors, lobbies or stairways, is limited, provided that the combustible content of such areas is restricted. They cause most of the casualties and may also obscure the way to escape routes and exits. Measures designed to provide safe means of escape must therefore provide appropriate arrangements to limit the rapid spread of smoke and fumes.
In such cases the means of escape will consist of two parts, the first being unprotected in accommodation and circulation areas and the second in protected stairways and in some circumstances protected corridors.
Note: Some people, for example those who use wheelchairs, may not be able to use stairways without assistance. For them evacuation involving the use of refuges on escape routes and either assistance down or up stairways or the use of suitable lifts will be necessary. The ultimate place of safety is the open air clear of the effects of the fire. However, in modern buildings which are large and complex, reasonable safety may be reached within the building, provided suitable planning and protection measures are incorporated.
Escalators should not be counted as providing predictable exit capacity, although it is recognised that they are likely to be used by people who are escaping. Mechanised walkways could be accepted and their capacity assessed on the basis of their use as a walking route, while in the static mode. Ideally, therefore people should be able to turn their backs on a fire wherever it occurs and travel away from it to a final exit or protected escape route leading to a place of safety.
However, in certain conditions a single direction of escape a dead end can be accepted as providing reasonable safety. These conditions depend on the use of the building and its associated fire risk, the size and height of the building, the extent of the dead end and the numbers of persons accommodated within the dead end. Unprotected escape routes should be limited in extent so that people do not have to travel excessive distances while exposed to the immediate danger of fire and smoke.
Even with protected horizontal escape routes, the distance to a final exit or protected stairway needs to be limited because the structure does not give protection indefinitely.
Once inside a protected stairway, a person can be considered to be safe from immediate danger from flame and smoke. They can then proceed to a place of safety at their own pace.
To enable this to be done, flames, smoke and gases must be excluded from these escape routes, as far as is reasonably possible, by fire-resisting structures or by an appropriate smoke control system, or by a combination of both these methods. This does not preclude the use of unprotected stairs for day-to-day circulation, but they can only play a very limited role in terms of means of escape due to their vulnerability in fire situations.
Measures intended to prevent unauthorised access can also hinder entry of the fire and rescue service to rescue people trapped by fire. Potential conflicts should be identified and resolved at the design stage and not left to ad hoc expedients after completion. The architectural liaison officers attached to most police forces are a valuable source of advice.
Some more detailed guidance on door security in buildings is given in paragraphs 5. Section 2 deals with means of escape from blocks of flats and Sections 3 and 4 with buildings other than flats. Section 3 concerns the design of means of escape on one level the horizontal phase in multi-storey buildings. Section 4 deals with stairways and the vertical phase of the escape route. Section 5 gives guidance on matters common to all parts of the means of escape. Paragraphs 1.
Paragraph 1. The following guidance is appropriate for most flats. However, where it is known that the occupants of a proposed flat are at a special risk from fire, it may be more appropriate to provide a higher standard of protection i.
They should have a standby power supply such as a battery either rechargeable or non-rechargeable or capacitor. More information on power supplies is given in clause 15 of BS Note: BS EN covers smoke alarms based on ionization chamber smoke detectors and optical photo-electric smoke detectors.
The different types of detector respond differently to smouldering and fast-flaming fires. Either type of detector is generally suitable. However, the choice of detector type should, if possible, take into account the type of fire that might be expected and the need to avoid false alarms. Accordingly, they are generally more suitable than ionization chamber detectors for installation in circulation spaces adjacent to kitchens. Smoke alarms should be provided in the circulation spaces of the dwelling in accordance with paragraphs 1.
These provisions are not intended to be applied to the common parts of a sheltered housing development, such as communal lounges, or to sheltered accommodation in the Institutional or Other residential purpose groups. Means of warning in such facilities should be considered on a case by case basis following the general guidance for buildings other than flats given in paragraphs 1.
Where groups of up to six students share a self-contained flat with its own entrance door, constructed on the compartmentation principles for flats in Section 7 B3 , it is appropriate to provide a separate automatic detection system within each flat. Where a general evacuation is required e. However the following guidance is appropriate to most common situations. Note: This guidance applies to ceilings that are predominantly flat and horizontal.
For this reason smoke alarms should not be fixed over a stair or any other opening between floors. They should not be fixed in bathrooms, showers, cooking areas or garages, or any other place where steam, condensation or fumes could give false alarms.
They should not be fixed to surfaces which are normally much warmer or colder than the rest of the space, because the temperature difference might create air currents which move smoke away from the unit. However, the attention of developers and builders is drawn to the importance of providing the occupants with information on the use of the equipment and on its maintenance or guidance on suitable maintenance contractors.
See paragraph 0. This has the advantage that the circuit is unlikely to be disconnected for any prolonged period. There should be a means of Isolating power to the smoke alarms without isolating the lighting. It does not need any particular fire survival properties.
Any conductors used for interconnecting alarms signalling should be readily distinguishable from those supplying mains power, e. Note: Mains powered smoke alarms may be interconnected using radio-links, provided that this does not reduce the lifetime or duration of any standby power supply below 72 hours. In this case, the smoke alarms may be connected to separate power circuits see paragraph 1. For example, the mains supply may be reduced to extra low voltage in a control unit incorporating a standby trickle-charged battery, before being distributed at that voltage to the alarms.
Where a fire alarm system is installed, an installation and commissioning certificate should be provided. Third party certification schemes for fire protection products and related services are an effective means of providing the fullest possible assurances, offering a level of quality, reliability and safety. Where the means of escape is based on simultaneous evacuation, operation of a manual call point or fire detector should give an almost instantaneous warning from all the fire alarm sounders.
However, where the means of escape. Such a system enables two or more stages of alarm to be given within a particular area, e. Note: the term fire detection system is used here to describe any type of automatic sensor network and associated control and indicating equipment. Sensors may be sensitive to smoke, heat, gaseous combustion products or radiation. Normally the control and indicating equipment operates a fire alarm system and it may perform other signalling or control functions as well.
Automatic sprinkler systems can also be used to operate a fire alarm system. Therefore the appropriate standard will need to be considered on a case by case basis. Note: General guidance on the standard of automatic fire detection that may need to be provided within a building can be found in Table A1 of BS In most buildings fires are detected by people, either through observation or smell and therefore often nothing more will be needed.
In assessing the situation, it must be determined that the warning can be heard and understood throughout the premises, including for example the toilet areas. In other circumstances, manually operated sounders such as rotary gongs or handbells may be used. Alternatively a simple manual call point combined with a bell, battery and charger may be suitable. BS specifies three categories of system, i. Category L systems are sub-divided into:. L2 — systems installed only in defined parts of the protected building a category L2 system should normally include the coverage required of a category L3 system ;.
L3 — systems designed to give a warning of fire at an early enough stage to enable all occupants, other than possibly those in the room of fire origin, to escape safely, before the escape routes are impassable owing to the presence of fire, smoke or toxic gases;. Diagram 5. This brings the text in line with the previous edition of ADB and ensures there is no technical change to the new clarified document. The potential future corrections will be limited to the paragraphs and diagrams referenced above only.
Added: 'Approved Document B fire safety volume 1: Dwellings, edition' and 'Approved Document B fire safety volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, edition'. Added amendments to Approved Document B fire safety volume 1 and volume 2. Added amendment to Approved Document B fire safety volume 2: buildings other than dwellinghouses - amendments to statutory guidance covering fire safety matters within and around buildings in England.
Book your coronavirus vaccination and booster dose on the NHS website. To help us improve GOV. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Cookies on GOV. UK We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Accept additional cookies Reject additional cookies View cookies.
0コメント