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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 ‘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.
‘The BBC’s
Watchdog
discovered
serious
breaches
that had
gone
undetected
during the
construction
process’
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: 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.
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