It is now several years since The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into force, yet from the raft of recent successful prosecutions it seems that some people have failed to recognise their legal responsibilities under the new regime. David Spicer Specialist Product Manager of Crown Paints reminds social housing providers of the key elements of the new legislation and points to the role flame retardant coatings can play in bringing premises up to required safety standards. 

Almost every type of non domestic building in England and Wales is covered by The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order including communal areas of multi-occupancy buildings (private homes and individual flats are excluded). There is similar legislation in Scotland, The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005), which importantly extends to cover other areas in licensed HMOs.  When the legislation came into force in 2006 it placed an high  emphasis on risk assessment and imposed particular responsibilities upon those who manage or own HMOs and those who care for people with special needs. Many social housing providers fall into one or both of these categories.

Those deemed ‘responsible’ for premises are now held personally accountable in law for managing fire safety and are required to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to reduce the risk of fire and ensure that anyone in their building can safely escape in the event of an evacuation. Risk assessments have to be carried out and documented, and findings must be acted on to bring buildings up to required standards where necessary.

The consequences of non-compliance can be severe. Apart from the potential for loss of life, injury or damage to property, the penalties range from a fine to a custodial sentence (and may include both, as happened to a North London landlord in 2008 following a fire in which one of his tenants tragically died).

The first step for a social housing provider is to identify a ‘responsible person’, which will often be the chief executive or other senior manager in the organisation. It may not be practical for that person to personally ensure every scheme and multi-occupancy block meets the necessary fire safety standards so they may appoint one or more ‘Competent Persons’ to carry out the risk assessments on their behalf.

Methodologies for carrying out fire safety risk assessments and for recognising and protecting escape routes in different types of building can be found in a series of guides published by the Government.  These can be downloaded from www.communities.gov.uk and are also available on a DVD/CD-Rom set from Crown Trade offering comprehensive information on ‘Duty of Care’ and fire safety legislation.

All guides point out that in the event of fire, a build up of conventional decorative paint finishes to wall and ceiling surfaces can be potentially hazardous in terms of contributing to flame spread. However this situation can be very quickly and easily rectified: fire safety in all types of buildings can be improved by using a Crown Trade Timonox flame retardant coating system to decorate and protect interior walls and ceilings. Timonox coatings slow down the spread of flames, ‘buying’ precious time for buildings to be evacuated, and can ultimately save lives.

A Timonox system applied to a bare non-combustible surface in a new building will maintain its fire rating. More importantly for most housing providers a Timonox system can also be applied over multiple layers of (conventional) paint and can therefore be used to upgrade the fire safety of existing housing stock. Providing those original coatings are sound, an appropriate combination of Timonox coatings can be used to quickly and easily bring the interior walls and ceilings up to the highest category for fire protection (Class 0).

Timonox coatings have been subjected to an extensive testing programme and have been independently tested by Exova warringtonfire (formerly Bodycote warringtonfire). All products are either water-based or solvent free, antimony free and 2010 VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) compliant. They are easy and pleasant to apply and available in a comprehensive range of finishes and colours to meet all aesthetic requirements, including anti-graffiti protection. The range is constantly being reviewed, updated and extended, the most recent product introduction being Timonox Scrubbable Matt, an exceptionally durable flame retardant coating with a true scrub-clean finish in an extensive range of colours.

If you’re concerned about the fire safety of your buildings and want to upgrade interior wall and ceiling surfaces with coatings proven to restrict the spread of flame please contact the Crown Trade Customer Relations Team on 0845 389 9583 or email info@crowntrade.co.uk