One of the UK’s most used fire safety standards has been fully revised to aid the maintenance of fire safety systems and provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date recommendations for fire safety in residential buildings, following a lengthy consultation process with relevant stakeholders.
The updated guidance, BS 9991:2024 Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Residential Buildings—Code of Practice, will be published by the UK’s national standards body on 27 November 2024. It supersedes BS 9991:2015.
The revisions were underway before the Grenfell Tower final report’s publication in September 2024 as part of updating and revising standards. While the Grenfell report did not make any specific recommendations for changes to BS 9991, it has re-emphasised the importance of comprehensive and up-to-date building safety and standards.
The standard provides recommendations and guidance on measures to control or mitigate the effects of fire and aims to achieve an adequate standard of life safety in the event of a fire in a building. It has also been designed to provide a level of protection for property and businesses against the impact of a fire in close proximity, either in residential buildings or within the same building or building complex.
As a British Standard, BS 9991:2024 is expected to be suitable for use across the whole of the UK. This latest good practice guidance has been designed to provide a consensus-based “mid-point” between the different regulations and supporting statutory guidance in the UK. This includes Approved Document B in England and Wales, Technical Handbook 2 in Scotland, and Technical Booklet E in Northern Ireland).
Revised standards generally include changes due to new evidence or information about a topic. In this case, to ensure a high standard of fire safety, some of the updates include expanding the scope to include residential care homes, expanding guidance relating to evacuation lifts, and revising height limits for sprinkler installation and single-stair buildings. In addition to improving fire safety, the changes have been made to build trust among stakeholders, including building occupants, owners, and regulatory bodies.
Scott Steedman, Director-General, Standards at BSI, said:
“The Grenfell tragedy and the subsequent inquiry and report have brought the issue of building safety into focus for the whole sector and beyond, it is critical that we ensure all standards reflect the latest evidence. The updated BS 9991 guides the design, installation, and maintenance of fire safety systems in residential buildings, ensuring that effective escape routes and fire safety measures are in place to protect occupants and enhance overall safety. This new edition has been fully revised, taking into account extensive changes within industry, and the increased focus on robust fire safety measures. BSI remains extremely grateful to the panel of experts who worked on this and their dedication over the last few years.”
FSH/14 Fire precautions in buildings is the technical committee responsible for BS 9991:2024. It includes technical experts from a range of organisations, regulators, and representatives from the Fire and Rescue Service. Given the importance of this topic, the public consultation generated more than 1,800 comments, all of which were individually considered and debated.
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