Clearview National June 2019 - Issue 211 | Page 18

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‘Fire safety must be priority in
new-build homes’ urges DHF,
following BBC investigation
Tamworth-based trade association, DHF (Door & Hardware Federation) is
emphasising the importance of making fire safety an ‘absolute priority’ in new-
build homes, following an investigation into potentially dangerous fire safety
issues in houses developed by Persimmon Homes and Bellway Homes.
» » THE FINDINGS, BY BBC
Watchdog Live, highlighted
that a number of new-builds
constructed by the firms were
sold with missing or incorrectly
installed fire barriers, which
are used to form a complete
seal between different areas of a
home, and prevent the spread of
fire. Without them, experts say,
fire and smoke can spread five-
to-ten times faster.
“The BBC’s Watchdog
discovered serious breaches that
had gone undetected during the
construction process, leaving
homes and lives potentially
at risk in the event of a fire,”
explains DHF’s Commercial
Manager, Patricia Sowsbery-
Stevens. “In many new builds,
particularly timber-framed
buildings, fire barriers are a vital
part of fire protection and we
would urge house builders to ‘get
it right’ at the construction stage
and to have a workforce that
is trained in, and understands,
the importance of installing the
fire barriers required to prevent
potential problems down the
line. Ultimately, responsibility
for ensuring that buildings
are compliant with Building
Regulations lies with the house
builder.”
Following the investigation,
Bellway Homes stated that it was
‘committed to improvement’
with regards to potentially flawed
fire safety issues in developments
in Kent and West Lothian, and
that mandatory training on,
amongst other subjects, fire
stopping, has been introduced
for all relevant construction
staff.
Following the Grenfell disaster
in June 2017, DHF’s voice has
been one of the loudest and most
passionate in its call for third-
party certification by a UKAS-
accredited body of manufacture,
installation, maintenance and
inspection of fire, smoke and
security doors, in order to offer
complete assurance on their
performance. With a history and
heritage dating back to 1897, the
federation is undoubtedly one of
the most revered organisations,
widely respected as the industry’s
independent authoritative voice.
Fierce advocates for
appropriate levels of training
across all the sectors that it
serves, DHF continues to place
the importance of training firmly
18 » JUN 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
‘up-front-and-centre’. The
organisation works assiduously
with BRE Academy to offer fire
door training courses; this has
been central to its on-going fire
safety campaign.
Additionally, in March 2019,
DHF announced a high-profile
collaboration with Secured by
Design (SBD) and Fire Industry
Association (FIA) to publish
a guidance document on fire
safety. Named A Guide for
Selecting Flat Entrance Doorsets;
A publication for housing
associations, landlords, building
owners and local authorities
in England, the publication
accentuates the key issues of fire
safety for those selecting fire
doorsets, recommending all fire
doorsets are factory-prepared (as
opposed to prepared on-site),
that all work be completed under
factory production control, and
in addition, audited by a third-
party.
“Since Grenfell, the wider
issue of fire safety has been
thrust into the spotlight and
we are delighted that progress
is being made in this regard,”
said Patricia. “We continue to
stress that the use of fire doors,
correctly installed and with
robust fire door maintenance
procedures, are an essential part
of fire safety and urge those
in positions of responsibility
(such as house builders) to
ensure that they are not only
fulfilling regulations, as well
as legal and moral obligations,
but insisting upon appropriate
levels of training with regards to
installation and maintenance.”
For further information about
DHF, please visit: https://
www.dhfonline.org.uk
DHF represents all the key
players in the following sectors:
locks and building hardware,
doorsets, industrial doors and
shutters, domestic garage doors
and automated gates.
With the ultimate aim of
maintaining and raising quality
standards throughout the
industry, all DHF members
must meet minimum standards
of competence and customer
service. They all operate within
a Code of Conduct governing
standards of workmanship,
quality assurance, training,
safety, business integrity and CE
marking compliance.