Installing fire protection to structural steelwork (GG 85)
Steel-framed buildings now (2017) account for 66% of the market in multi-storey non-domestic buildings and 88.5% of the market in single-storey non-domestic buildings in the UK. In 1981, fire protection accounted for 31% of the cost of structural steelwork, but by 2007, this was just 17%.
During this period, thin-film intumescent coatings came to dominate the market. These are water-based or solvent based paint like materials that expand when heated to form a ‘char’ which protects steel in the event of fire. The performance of this, and other forms of protection, such as insulating boards or sprayed protection, is dependent on the quality of the installation.
BRE (Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries. On 3 May 2017, BRE published, Installing fire protection to structural steelwork (GG 85) written by Tom Lennon, Ian Stewart and Andy Russell.
The 8 page Good Building Guide addresses the importance of correctly installing passive and reactive fire protection to structural steelwork to ensure expected performance criteria are achieved in the event of a fire. It identifies key issues for specifiers, manufacturers, contractors and approval authorities and includes references to more comprehensive sources of information.
The guide highlights the importance of adequate testing, quality, installation and maintenance as well as the critical role played by third-party certification schemes.
Its contents includes:
- Introduction.
- Structural steel in fire.
- Regulatory requirements.
- Forms of passive and reactive fire protection to structural steelwork.
- Installation.
- Test, assessment and certification requirements.
- Third-party certification.
- Fire risk assessment.
- Liaison between all parties.
- Checklist.
- Summary.
- References.
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