Leading fire safety bodies call for mandatory third party certification

The recommendations are set out in detail in the pages of a new 16-page report published under the heading The Fire Safety Competence Gap*.

Almost ten years on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London’s North Kensington that witnessed the deaths of 72 people and realised an extensive Public Inquiry, the positive news is that awareness of fire safety responsibilities has increased significantly.

Indeed, 93% of those decision makers surveyed in order to produce the new report believe that greater attention is being paid to fire safety and more action is being taken. In tandem, 83% of respondents stated that third party certification should be the standard route towards demonstrating fire risk assessor competence.

That said, the survey findings reveal a significant gap between awareness of fire safety responsibilities and the ability to fulfil them in practice. Although 85% of ‘Responsible Persons’ claim to be fully aware of their legal responsibilities, only 55% of them correctly identified checking the competence of their appointed fire risk assessor as being one of those obligations.

Further, 73% of decision makers don’t appear to know by whom their fire safety supplier is certificated, whether their supplier holds certification at all or uses an uncertificated supplier.

Operational priority

Dr Justin Maltby-Smith, Group CEO of BAFE Holdings, commented: “Fire safety is becoming an operational priority for many organisations, but the ability to identify and verify competent providers is being compromised by the lack of a single and authoritative register. Those responsible for fire safety have heeded the lessons highlighted by Grenfell Tower. Now, we are calling on the Government to help them complete the journey.”

The joint report highlights the truism that, while the Gas Safe Register allows homeowners to check an engineer’s registration, those responsible for fire safety in public buildings have no equivalent means of identifying competent solution providers.

Richard Fogelman, CEO of the NSI, observed: “Knowing that you need a competent provider and knowing how to check that they’re competent are two different things entirely. Independent third party certification gives buyers assurance, while a single register would make it easier to find a competent provider and demonstrate that appropriate checks have been made.”

Certification by a UKAS-accredited third party certification body provides independent assessment against recognised standards, ably supported by ongoing monitoring. A single and authoritative register would make that assurance easier to access, reducing the time and effort involved in checking suppliers and providing a clearer basis for demonstrating that appropriate steps have been taken when appointing them.

Safety-critical work

Martin Watson, interim CEO at the FIA, explained: “Those responsible for protecting people and buildings need a clear and trusted way of knowing that the professionals whom they appoint have the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to undertake safety-critical work.”

Watson added: “Independent verification would strengthen accountability across the industry and, most importantly, help to ensure that competent professionals are carrying out work on which people’s safety absolutely depends.”

*The Fire Safety Competence Gap is based on independent research commissioned jointly by BAFE and the NSI and conducted by Sapio Research among UK decision makers with responsibility for – or direct influence over – fire safety procurement

**Read Fire Safety Matters’ exclusive Q&A on The Fire Safety Competence Gap featuring detailed comment from Dr Justin Maltby Smith, Martin Watson and Richard Fogelman