One of the benefits of specifying fire resistant compartment wall and panel systems is that being standardised products manufactured off-site, they are relatively quick and simple to install. But as Ivor Seabrook explains, their correct installation requires meticulous attention
to detail.
From an installer’s point of view, composite firewall systems are simple and quick to fit, and provide a clean, self-finished and aesthetically pleasing result. Moreover, the fact that contractors work on standardised products means that it is relatively easy to transfer skills from project to project.
From a main contractor’s perspective, theses systems can be installed early in the construction process, making it easier to accommodate follow-on trades such as electricians. Moreover, being a finished article, they do not need plastering or decorating. Using certificated contractors and approved products provides an additional assurance of consistency of quality and reliability of product and installation, together with on-site back up from BRE Global if needed. The latter consists of visits to around four sites a year unrequested, or to any site at the request of either the main contractor or the sub-contractor.
Many of the benefits of using these systems are also passed on to clients who, in addition, are provided with flexibility in design – including the ability to retro-fit alterations – as well as an attractive end product with little or no maintenance requirements. Using third party approved products and installation companies provides additional benefits, such as more favourable terms from insurers.
Although the concept of using composite systems is straightforward, the approved installer does need to approach any projects in a thorough and systematic way, and there is a considerable amount of detail to deal with from design to completion. The first thing is to identify the performance requirements of any composite panel system – including those for fire, acoustics and thermal insulation – as well as the spans and orientation of the panels themselves. Once this is done, the contractor will identify the most suitable panel system for the project.
The bigger picture
But the assessment of fire performance doesn’t stop at the panels themselves. Steel work requirements also need to be identified, such as checking the panels’ span limitations relative to the fire performance, and determining whether closer spaced steel columns and smaller panel spans are needed. In the case of vertical panel spans, the same considerations apply to steel beams, although these tend to need secondary steelwork in most cases. Secondary steelwork requirements, such as cleats and angles, also need to be ascertained, as does the fire performance of all supporting steelwork. When this had been done, the requirements need to be communicated to the steelwork contractor.
Once this basic groundwork has been completed, detailed drawings need to be prepared. This includes the preparation of plans, elevations and drawings for the construction of the compartment walls, and then re-checking the drawings against the M&E, cladding and siphonic drainage diagrams. Once the drawings have been approved by all relevant parties, a panel schedule is prepared and issued to the manufacturer, who will then issue a delivery date.
That has taken care of the planning and design stages, so now attention turns to work on site. This initially entails the specialist contractor outlining the project to the site supervisor. It’s also necessary to conduct a survey of the construction area to identify any obstructions or pitfalls well in advance of the installation of the composite panels, as well as suitable access, product and equipment. The results of this process are then fed back to the project manager for the main contractor to resolve any issues. After that, the contractor should prepare and issue three copies of a method statement, risk assessment and COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) documentation to the site supervisor, who when satisfied, signs each copy and issues them to the site team and the main contractor, and lodges a copy for the project file.
Construction phase
On a responsibly operated site, the site supervisor briefs employees and workers on the project and this briefing is recorded. The supervisor would then brief operatives on the specific method statement and risk assessment, and the method statement would need to be signed. All workers on site attend an induction and are required to show their appropriate training certificates. Site conditions are then verified and recorded prior to starting the project, with any matters arising identified to the main contractor.
Even with all this preparatory work, precautions still need to be made during the installation of compartment walls. For example, all plant and lifting equipment needs to be checked that it is safe and in working order, and such checks need to be recorded. All material that is delivered to the site has to be set down in a dry area, inspected for any damage, and batch numbers recorded. Each panel stack is labelled with a unique number, and these need to be checked against the drawings.
A supervisor then has to ensure that the panels are set out in the location of their installation, and then the panels are lifted and fitted into place using the correct fixing details. This is often done by a telehandler with lifting clamps or a vacuum lifter. Lifting clamps are specially engineered clamps that mechanically connect to the male part of the panel joint using a lever mechanism – the panel then hangs from this point of contact. A vacuum lifter is an electronic device that has a number of suction pads arranged to give good coverage over the panel surface, and that apply a measured vacuum to the steel face of the panel. Such constant supervision and ongoing inspection ensures quality and consistency of installation and adherence to the details of the drawings.
The installation work is complemented with periodic site inspections by the contracts manager, and a final inspection, again recorded, by the supervisor. The work is then offered to the main contractor’s site or project manager for signing off, with any damage clearly identified and recorded.
Operation and Maintenance manuals are then prepared for the completion process, with a final inspection carried out prior to practical completion. Any superficial damage is then filled and/or sprayed, and certification is then handed over to the main contractor on receipt of payment for the work.
Ivor Seabrook is contracts director at G&A Fire Protection. This article is based on a presentation he made at the launch of the LPS 1500 scheme at BRE Global .
APPROVING THE INSTALLER
LPS 1500: 2 is a certification scheme from BRE Global to approve installers of fire resistant compartment wall systems and was launched earlier this year. The updated scheme covers installers of construction products already approved to LPS 1208 – such as compartment walls and partitions, external walls, curtain walls, cavity barriers, roofs, loadbearing and compartment floors – and for insulated panels in facilities such as food processing. It represents a further move towards approval of installers of fire safety systems, rather than just the approval of products.
In turn LPS 1208 is the fire resistance standard for products of construction used to provide compartmentation. Products are tested to BS 476: Part 21 (for loadbearing applications) or BS 476: Part 22 (for non-loadbearing applications); or to EN 1364/EN1365 as applicable.
The standard also aims to address technical areas of concern, such as the distance panels can be unsupported or unrestrained, the insulation cover strips, and the allowance for expansion in butt joining panels. For all these, manufacturers’ design drawings are critical.
LPS 1500 aims to provide a link between the approval of products and the assessment of installers. “This is a new approach to passive fire safety installation schemes,” Ian Stewart, passive installation scheme manager at BRE Global told delegates at the launch seminar at BRE’s headquarters in Watford. “Each project will have to be inspected and signed off by a responsible person in the [approved] installation company.”
The approval process examines the professionalism of companies involved in installing LPS approved products, and covers contractor competency and training, record keeping and management of sub-contractors.
BRE Global aims to inspect “up to 15% of projects” on which approved firms work. “We are not going to under resource this – it’s vital that we have sufficient technical inspections and we maintain the expertise at this level,” added Mr Stewart.
The launch of LPS 1500 is in addition to another scheme for the approval of installers of passive fire protection products. Unlike LPS 1500 though, LPS 1531 applies to firms who install a generic range of passive fire protection products, not just those approved to LPS 1208, such as:
– Penetration, cavity barriers and linear gap seals
– Fire rated board and cladding to structural elements
– Intumescent coatings to structural elements
– Fire rated spray materials
– Fire rated ductwork systems
– Fire resisting dampers
– Fire resistant compartment wall systems
– Offsite application of intumescent coatings to structural elements
LPS 1531 aims to address specific areas of concern such as the installation of duct dampers, the framing out of penetrations in drywalls, and the use of PU foams.
One of the benefits of specifying fire resistant compartment wall and panel systems is that being standardised products manufactured off-site, they are relatively quick and simple to install. But as Ivor Seabrook explains, their correct installation requires meticulous attention to detail.
From an installer’s point of view, composite firewall systems are simple and quick to fit, and provide a clean, self-finished and aesthetically pleasing result. Moreover, the fact that contractors work on standardised products means that it is relatively easy to transfer skills from project to project.
From a main contractor’s perspective, theses systems can be installed early in the construction process, making it easier to accommodate follow-on trades such as electricians. Moreover, being a finished article, they do not need plastering or decorating. Using certificated contractors and approved products provides an additional assurance of consistency of quality and reliability of product and installation, together with on-site back up from BRE Global if needed. The latter consists of visits to around four sites a year unrequested, or to any site at the request of either the main contractor or the sub-contractor.
Many of the benefits of using these systems are also passed on to clients who, in addition, are provided with flexibility in design – including the ability to retro-fit alterations – as well as an attractive end product with little or no maintenance requirements. Using third party approved products and installation companies provides additional benefits, such as more favourable terms from insurers.
Although the concept of using composite systems is straightforward, the approved installer does need to approach any projects in a thorough and systematic way, and there is a considerable amount of detail to deal with from design to completion. The first thing is to identify the performance requirements of any composite panel system – including those for fire, acoustics and thermal insulation – as well as the spans and orientation of the panels themselves. Once this is done, the contractor will identify the most suitable panel system for the project.
The bigger picture
But the assessment of fire performance doesn’t stop at the panels themselves. Steel work requirements also need to be identified, such as checking the panels’ span limitations relative to the fire performance, and determining whether closer spaced steel columns and smaller panel spans are needed. In the case of vertical panel spans, the same considerations apply to steel beams, although these tend to need secondary steelwork in most cases. Secondary steelwork requirements, such as cleats and angles, also need to be ascertained, as does the fire performance of all supporting steelwork. When this had been done, the requirements need to be communicated to the steelwork contractor.
Once this basic groundwork has been completed, detailed drawings need to be prepared. This includes the preparation of plans, elevations and drawings for the construction of the compartment walls, and then re-checking the drawings against the M&E, cladding and siphonic drainage diagrams. Once the drawings have been approved by all relevant parties, a panel schedule is prepared and issued to the manufacturer, who will then issue a delivery date.
That has taken care of the planning and design stages, so now attention turns to work on site. This initially entails the specialist contractor outlining the project to the site supervisor. It’s also necessary to conduct a survey of the construction area to identify any obstructions or pitfalls well in advance of the installation of the composite panels, as well as suitable access, product and equipment. The results of this process are then fed back to the project manager for the main contractor to resolve any issues.
After that, the contractor should prepare and issue three copies of a method statement, risk assessment and COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) documentation to the site supervisor, who when satisfied, signs each copy and issues them to the site team and the main contractor, and lodges a copy for the project file.
Construction phase
On a responsibly operated site, the site supervisor briefs employees and workers on the project and this briefing is recorded. The supervisor would then brief operatives on the specific method statement and risk assessment, and the method statement would need to be signed. All workers on site attend an induction and are required to show their appropriate training certificates. Site conditions are then verified and recorded prior to starting the project, with any matters arising identified to the main contractor.
Even with all this preparatory work, precautions still need to be made during the installation of compartment walls. For example, all plant and lifting equipment needs to be checked that it is safe and in working order, and such checks need to be recorded. All material that is delivered to the site has to be set down in a dry area, inspected for any damage, and batch numbers recorded. Each panel stack is labelled with a unique number, and these need to be checked against the drawings.
A supervisor then has to ensure that the panels are set out in the location of their installation, and then the panels are lifted and fitted into place using the correct fixing details. This is often done by a telehandler with lifting clamps or a vacuum lifter. Lifting clamps are specially engineered clamps that mechanically connect to the male part of the panel joint using a lever mechanism – the panel then hangs from this point of contact. A vacuum lifter is an electronic device that has a number of suction pads arranged to give good coverage over the panel surface, and that apply a measured vacuum to the steel face of the panel. Such constant supervision and ongoing inspection ensures quality and consistency of installation and adherence to the details of the drawings.
The installation work is complemented with periodic site inspections by the contracts manager, and a final inspection, again recorded, by the supervisor. The work is then offered to the main contractor’s site or project manager for signing off, with any damage clearly identified and recorded.
Operation and Maintenance manuals are then prepared for the completion process, with a final inspection carried out prior to practical completion. Any superficial damage is then filled and/or sprayed, and certification is then handed over to the main contractor on receipt of payment for the work.
Ivor Seabrook is contracts director at G&A Fire Protection. This article is based on a presentation he made at the launch of the LPS 1500 scheme at BRE Global .
APPROVING THE INSTALLER
LPS 1500: 2 is a certification scheme from BRE Global to approve installers of fire resistant compartment wall systems and was launched earlier this year. The updated scheme covers installers of construction products already approved to LPS 1208 – such as compartment walls and partitions, external walls, curtain walls, cavity barriers, roofs, loadbearing and compartment floors – and for insulated panels in facilities such as food processing. It represents a further move towards approval of installers of fire safety systems, rather than just the approval of products.
In turn LPS 1208 is the fire resistance standard for products of construction used to provide compartmentation. Products are tested to BS 476: Part 21 (for loadbearing applications) or BS 476: Part 22 (for non-loadbearing applications); or to EN 1364/EN1365 as applicable.
The standard also aims to address technical areas of concern, such as the distance panels can be unsupported or unrestrained, the insulation cover strips, and the allowance for expansion in butt joining panels. For all these, manufacturers’ design drawings are critical.
LPS 1500 aims to provide a link between the approval of products and the assessment of installers. "This is a new approach to passive fire safety installation schemes," Ian Stewart, passive installation scheme manager at BRE Global told delegates at the launch seminar at BRE’s headquarters in Watford. "Each project will have to be inspected and signed off by a responsible person in the [approved] installation company."
The approval process examines the professionalism of companies involved in installing LPS approved products, and covers contractor competency and training, record keeping and management of sub-contractors.
BRE Global aims to inspect "up to 15% of projects" on which approved firms work. "We are not going to under resource this – it’s vital that we have sufficient technical inspections and we maintain the expertise at this level," added Mr Stewart.
The launch of LPS 1500 is in addition to another scheme for the approval of installers of passive fire protection products. Unlike LPS 1500 though, LPS 1531 applies to firms who install a generic range of passive fire protection products, not just those approved to LPS 1208, such as:
– Penetration, cavity barriers and linear gap seals
– Fire rated board and cladding to structural elements
– Intumescent coatings to structural elements
– Fire rated spray materials
– Fire rated ductwork systems
– Fire resisting dampers
– Fire resistant compartment wall systems
– Offsite application of intumescent coatings to structural elements
LPS 1531 aims to address specific areas of concern such as the installation of duct dampers, the framing out of penetrations in drywalls, and the use of PU foams.
