Call for publication of BS 8414 test data focused on cladding systems

It has been brought to the organisations’ attention that a number of BS 8414 fire tests have been carried out on various external wall construction systems, but the results of these tests have not been published.

In many cases, these tests were commissioned in response to specific issues identified in real buildings, such as missing or poorly installed cavity barriers, in order to assess whether those shortcomings present a risk of external fire spread.

Knowledge of the outcomes of such tests would be of significant value to the wider fire engineering community. Fire engineers regularly assess the fire risk of external wall systems on buildings that may exhibit similar construction features or defects. Access to a broader range of test data would support more informed and evidence-based decision-making.

Importantly, test reports would be informative regardless of whether or not the system tested achieved a successful outcome. At present, unpublished reports are known only to a limited number of individuals. Even those with knowledge of the tests may be unable to reference them when working on other projects.

Providing a platform

The IFE and the FIA would be willing to provide a platform for the publication of these test reports, most likely via a publicly accessible website, subject to permission from the organisations that commissioned the tests.

Reports can be anonymised, with references to specific buildings or organisations removed. As the primary purpose of publication is to inform understanding of the fire performance of different wall constructions, identifying individual projects or companies would not be necessary.

The organisations are inviting anyone who’s aware of relevant BS 8414 fire test reports that may be suitable for publication to communicate that information. All contacts will be treated in confidence and no test report will be published without the explicit consent of the organisation that commissioned the test.

Interested parties are now invited to send an e-mail to [email protected]

In advance, the IFE and the FIA would like to thank the fire safety community for its support in helping to share knowledge and improve the overall understanding of external wall fire performance.