New External Wall Fire Risk Guidance

A joint document released by the Fire Industry Association, Institution of Fire Engineers, and Façade Special Interest Group provides guidance on proportionality and risk when carrying out fire risk appraisals of external walls (FRAEWs) to PAS 9980 Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls and Cladding of Flats. PAS 9980 provides a methodology for carrying out FRAEWs.

The guidance is focused on informing fire engineers on the specific details of what risks are acceptable, when, and to what extent remedial measures should be undertaken to reduce fire risks. It does this using a risk triangle, which presents three general regions: the unacceptable region, the tolerable region, and the broadly acceptable region, highlighting that risk does not need to be completely removed. The document emphasises that risks in the tolerable region do not need to be reduced further if the required costs, time, and troubles are disproportionate to the reduction in risk it would achieve. Therefore, making the risk as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).

The document is intended to provide insights into how fire engineers should make decisions on risk acceptability and the proportionality of controls introduced. In addition, there is technical information concerning the different fire regulations and legal requirements that apply to buildings if they are occupied, as well as information about the different safety requirements that are required for new and existing buildings.

The document is free to download from the Fire Industry Association website.

If you have any questions or would like support with managing issues at your workplace, please speak to your usual contact or get in touch using the form below.