Features are carefully selected from across the website and magazine, these articles are contributed by a wide range of authors from across the sectors covered by Fire & Security Matters, as well as the editorial team. Addressing the latest topics in terms of technological developments, legislation and industry issues
LAST YEAR, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors recorded around one-third fewer fire safety failings on British building sites. However, the number of fire-related injuries barely moved, while sites in England still play host to more than six fires every week. John Melling explains why fewer failings doesn’t mean that construction sites are becoming safer.
FOR LANDLORDS and electrical installers, smoke, heat and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms represent a small part of a given installation’s cost, observes Andy Speake, but their reliability is absolutely critical.
THERE’S A persistent assumption held by some commentators in the construction sector that a construction product’s individual fire classification will determine how safe a building is going to be. It doesn’t, asserts Simon Storer. New and independent testing conducted on flat roofs beneath rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems shows exactly why.
THE NEW 16-page report produced by BAFE, the Fire Industry Association (FIA) and the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) reveals that organisations across the UK are struggling to verify the competence of fire safety solution providers, despite growing awareness of their legal responsibilities. In an exclusive Q&A for Fire Safety Matters, Dr Justin Maltby-Smith (CEO of BAFE Holdings), Richard Fogelman (CEO at the NSI) and Martin Watson (interim CEO for the FIA) explain in detail why the sector is calling for Government action and how industry can assist in delivering the solution.
EVERY YEAR, notes Tom Roche, the Government publishes its fire statistics and, every year, those of us operating in the fire safety sector read them with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Curiosity as they represent an account of where we stand, providing data to help define a picture that’s sadly lacking in many countries. Concern due to the fact that what they increasingly highlight is a picture of elements moving in the wrong direction, particularly so when it comes to industrial premises. The response has not kept pace.
