There have been several updates to building safety regulations relating to construction products and flame retardanttreated wood products. Here is a summary of the latest developments:
GRENFELL TOWER REVIEW AND APPROVED DOCUMENT B AMENDMENTS
September 2024 saw the publication of the Grenfell Tower Review, and amendments to Approved Document B are expected, with some changes already made. At the NBS Construction Leaders’ Summit on February 13, 2020 in Birmingham, Dame Judith Hackitt encouraged change before the regulations come into place.
GRENFELL TOWER REPORTS PHASE / NOTABLE CHANGES TO APPROVED DOCUMENT B
Announced on September 2, 2024, regulation changes to Approved Document B include:
- From March 2, 2025: the national Reaction to Fire Tests and Classifications under BS 476 will be withdrawn fully from Approved Document B. Only classifications according to BS EN 13501 will be accepted.
- From September 2, 2029: the national Fire Resistance Tests and Classifications under BS 476 will be withdrawn fully from Approved Document B. Only classifications according to BS EN 13501 will be accepted.
REGULATORS OUTLINE THE IMPLICATIONS
A recent construction products webinar from April 2024 focused on the implications for construction products, featuring insights from the Building Safety Regulator, HSE, the Construction Products Regulator (OPSS), and the Code for Construction Product Information.
Highlights include:
- The future identification and regulation of critical safety products where failure can cause death or serious injury.
- Powers to enable bringing action against construction product developers where products become unfit for habitation because of compliance failure by manufacturers.
- The importance of the correct installation of construction products.
- The use of third-party certification as a detailed review of confidential intellectual property, such that an overview produced for marketing purposes can refer to the more rigorous certification.
MORRELL REVIEW
The Independent Review of the Construction Product Testing Regime (known as the Morrell Review), published in April 2023, suggested two significant opportunities for self-regulation on the part of product manufacturers:
- Increased use of voluntary third-party certification schemes (some of which are currently more rigorous than the regulatory process), but with a base standard no lower than the regulatory regime.
- The potential for the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) developed by the industry to grow into something equivalent to the Advertising Standards Authority code, with a view to resolving most low-level infractions without the regulator needing to intervene.
HSE NAMED AS BUILDING SAFETY REGULATOR
The Building Safety Act, which was granted Royal Assent on April 28, 2022, named the HSE as the Building Safety Regulator.
Any new relevant build (including high-rise buildings) must be authorised and scrutinised by the HSE (‘Relevant’ refers to types of buildings that fall under the scope of the Building Safety Regulator).
NATIONAL REGULATOR
In January 2021, the government announced the National Regulator for Construction Products would be established within the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).
The Wood Protection Association continues to actively engage with the OPSS, following discussions on flame-retardant treated plywood last year, and the subsequent testing and withdrawal of one product from the market.
Now the OPSS is looking to understand the flame-retardant treated wood market. It’s a great opportunity for us to promote the excellent factory production control procedures of our members.
TIMBER IN CONSTRUCTION ROADMAP
Defra’s Timber in Construction Roadmap 2025, published in February this year, outlines the UK government’s plan to increase the use of timber in construction across England. The aims of the initiative include reducing embodied carbon emissions, boosting domestic timber production and use, and supporting net zero goals.
Priority theme 5 of the roadmap is “addressing fire safety and durability concerns to safely expand the use of engineered mass timber”.
Flame retardant treatments for wood are a significant step towards addressing fire safety concerns and questions for engineered mass timber.
It has stated that it will collaborate with academics and the Building Safety Regulator to improve knowledge about the fire performance of wood and its applications in buildings. It has also committed to backing industry demonstrator projects to develop and share best practice to develop evidence to support the use of domestic construction using mass timber.
The Roadmap highlights the recently launched Fire Hub, an industry-led web-based platform to share data and best practices in timber fire safety. This contains links to the WPA-produced FR Guidance notes.
