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Product category: Industrialsafetytalk: Health and Safety Legislation
News Release from: BSI British Standards | Subject: Fire standards
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial Team on 23 May 2005

BSI publishes new fire standards for
businesses

BSI Business Information has recently published new fire standards to help businesses meet fire safety requirements, with the aim of reducing death, injury and damage.

BSI Business Information has recently published new fire standards to help businesses meet fire safety requirements, with the aim of reducing death, injury and damage that can otherwise result from fire incidents Many fires can be avoided by taking fire precautions

But if a fire does break out, the effects can be minimised by having effective controls and procedures in place.

Latest figures show the cost of fire to the UK economy in 2003 to be GBP7.7billion [source - The Economic Cost of Fire: Estimates for 2003, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister].

The average cost of fire in a commercial building is GBP58,100, which includes the economic cost of injuries and fatalities.

Each year people die or are seriously injured as a result of fires at work.

Besides loss of life, fire costs UK business millions of pounds from damage to property, loss of business, fines, compensation claims and insurance premiums.

Indeed, it can be the end for small businesses.

One of the best ways to minimise the threat to a business is by keeping up-to-date with fire safety standards.

That is why BSI Business Information has published guidelines and specifications to help companies meet fire safety requirements.

To be at the forefront of fire safety, companies need to be aware of all new fire standards.

Below are listed BSI's latest publications on fire safety.

BS EN 12101-6:2005, 'Smoke and heat control systems, Specification for pressure differential systems'.

This new fire standard replaces BS 5588-4:1998 and specifies pressure differential systems designed to hold back smoke at a leaky physical barrier in a building, such as a door (either open or closed), or other similar openings.

It describes relevant and critical features of installation and commissioning procedures needed to implement the calculated design in a building.

It also covers systems intended to protect means of escape, such as stairwells, corridors and lobbies and systems intended to provide a firefighting bridgehead for the fire services.

The price is GBP148 or GBP74 for BSI Subscribing Members.

BS EN 54-13:2005, 'Fire detection and fire alarm systems, Compatibility assessment of system components'.

This publication states the requirements for compatibility and connectability assessment of system components that either comply with the requirements of BS EN 54 'Fire detection and fire alarm systems' or with a manufacturer's specification, where BS EN 54 does not apply.

This document specifies requirements: for the integrity of the fire detection and fire alarm system when connected to other systems; related to compatibility and connectability assessment methods; tests for the system components; for ensuring that components are compatible/connectable; related to performance.

It does not, however, specify the manner in which the system is designed, installed and used in any particular application.

The price is GBP92 or GBP46 for BSI Subscribing Members.

BS 5446-3:2005, 'Specification for smoke alarms for deaf and hard of hearing people'.

Smoke alarms for use in dwellings have been available for many years, and are addressed in BS 5446-1.

These devices are intended to warn of the presence of a potential fire condition by emitting a loud piercing sound.

However, people with hearing loss can be unaware of such an alarm sound.

There are recognised methods of alerting deaf and hard-of-hearing people, including the use of vibro-tactile and visual alarm devices.

To provide a fire warning for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, it has become common practice for such devices to be coupled to domestic smoke alarms.

BS 5446-3 describes the requirements and test methods for kits and their components used to create smoke alarm systems for deaf and hard of hearing people.

Note that this standard applies to domestic dwellings only.

It also outlines the requirements and test methods for smoke alarm kits intended for use in caravans (leisure accommodation vehicles and LAVs).

The price is GBP106 or GBP53 BSI Subscribing Members.

BS 4422:2005, 'Fire, Vocabulary'.

This definitive standard brings together, in one document, terms and definitions relating to safety from fire in existing codes and standards, government legislation, regulations and guidance documents, and documents published by other leading organisations.

The purpose of this standard is to provide a unifying document so that terms and their definitions can be used throughout the fields of fire and fire safety, so that, as far as possible, a given term will always have the same meaning and that a given concept is always expressed by the same term.

This revision of BS 4422 will eliminate the inconsistencies between standards, and other fire-related codes and guidance documents, in a rapidly evolving area of technology that is related to safety from fire.

The price is GBP140 or GBP70 for BSI Subscribing Members.

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