Welcome to the latest Surveyors’ Newsletter, sharing knowledge and news on current risk management issues with underwriting teams across Arch UK Regional Division.
BUILDING SAFETY
Doubts over cladding and remediation after fire safety engineer sanctioned
Concerns have been raised over the validity of some external wall system (EWS1) forms after a fire engineer was sanctioned by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) last year. On 25 January 2025, the IFE confirmed that the sanction against Adam Kiziak, Director of fire safety consultancy Tri Fire, had been extended due to complaints received and would remain in place until their investigation, which is unprecedented in its seriousness for the Institution, had concluded. You can read more in this Fire Protection Association (FPA) article.
Several mortgage lenders are not offering mortgages based on EWS assessments completed by Tri Fire — a widely used supplier for EWS1 certification — without further information and validation, creating problems for buyers and sellers. A number of major landlords and property managers have stopped working with Tri Fire, and Homes England has suspended the company from its approved panel of firms providing fire risk appraisals of external walls (FRAEWs) for applicants of the government Cladding Safety Scheme.
James Groves, director at fire safety consultancy BB7 shares his thoughts on implications for the industry and the way forward.
Who can sign off an EWS1 form?
Option A (where external wall materials are unlikely to support combustion) — the EWS1 form can be completed by a signatory having the expertise to identify relevant materials within the external walls and attachments and whether cavity barriers and fire stopping have been installed correctly. The signatory should be a fully qualified member of a relevant professional body within the construction industry, although not necessarily with expertise in fire engineering.
Option B (where combustible materials are present in external walls) — the signatory would need a higher level of expertise in the assessment of the fire risk presented by external wall materials. For IFE members, this should be a Chartered (CEng) or Incorporated (IEng) Engineer with full membership of the Institution. For non-IFE members, the signatory should be a fully qualified member of a relevant professional body dealing with fire safety in the built environment with either actual or equivalence to CEng or IEng status.
Qualifying Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE), Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT), Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and IFE professionals completing the RICS External Wall System Assessment Training Programme can conduct external wall assessments and sign EWS1 forms (Options A and B) for low or medium risk residential buildings below 18 metres height. For complex or high-risk buildings (such as those with a basement car park or high-risk commercial premises), an IFE member with CEng/IEng status or equivalence as above would instead be required.
The RICS has indicated awareness that unqualified people may be signing off EWS1 forms and condemned anyone doing so given the potentially dangerous consequences for residents.
Thousands of buildings have unsafe cladding as remediation efforts continue
More than 5,000 buildings of eleven metres and above have been reported as having unsafe cladding, according to the latest building safety remediation data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Highlighting the progress being made across all five of the government’s remediation programmes – the Building Safety Fund, Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) remediation, Cladding Safety Scheme, developer-led remediation and works reported by registered providers of social housing – the MHCLG report shows the latest data on unsafe cladding as of December 2024. Read the FPA article.
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC): Creating safe spaces
The construction industry is at a crossroads, facing the dual challenges of a climate crisis and a housing emergency. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) are widely recognised as a solution, offering speed, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability benefits. However, as we embrace this new era of construction, fire safety in MMC must become a focal point. Read more in this recent LinkedIn article by Ben Bradford, BB7 CEO.
Call for combustible living wall systems ban
Green infrastructure provider Vertical Meadow is calling for a nationwide ban on living wall systems comprising of predominantly combustible materials, until the introduction of an industry fire test standard. Read the LinkedIn article.
HOME OFFICE FIRE SAFETY GUIDANCE
A guide to making your small block of flats safe from fire
This publication has been updated to support recent changes to fire safety law in England and assist persons with responsibilities for fire safety in small blocks of flats not exceeding three storeys. Get the download.
Fire safety risk assessment: 5-step checklist
An updated checklist has been provided to help people responsible for the simplest premises to conduct their fire safety risk assessment. It is intended for use with the government’s fire safety in the workplace risk assessment guides.
LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
Tragic e-bike and e-scooter fires less than 24 hours apart
London Fire Brigade recently responded to two fires within 24 hours, one each involving an e-bike and e-scooter, in which homes were destroyed. Both fires are believed to have been caused by catastrophic failures of lithium-ion batteries. Read more on LinkedIn.
New e-bike battery research report published
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has published new research offering greater insight into the safety of e-bike and e-scooter lithium-ion batteries, chargers, and e-bike conversion kits. FPA article and link to full report.
Burton launches ‘Batteryguard’ lithium-ion battery safe range
UK safe manufacturer Burton recently launched its ‘Batteryguard’ range of cabinets for the storage and charging of lithium-ion batteries. Certified to VDMA 24994, a test standard published by German standards institute DIN which may serve as the foundation for a European standard under development, ‘Batteryguard’ is designed to contain battery fires and explosions caused by thermal runaway. Details are within their product brochure.
FLOOD
Record flood funding pledge
The government has pledged £2.6 billion over the next two years to improve flood defences across England. The money will be spent on projects ranging from tidal barriers and flood walls to nature-based solutions slowing water flow. Read the BBC News article.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Alarming increase in attacks on lone workers
This recent Health & Safety Matters article highlights a troubling rise in physical attacks and weapon-related incidents involving lone workers over the past three years.
The HSE Guide on lone working safety can be found on their website.
Top 10 Health & Safety prosecutions of 2024
Last year saw million-pound fines for the likes of Openreach and Tata Chemicals but also smaller firms. From unsafe working conditions, missing or insufficient risk assessments to failing to implement their own safety policies, Safety & Health Practitioner looks at the largest health & safety fines of 2024.
SPOTTED ON SURVEY
Here you can see on the left where expanding foam has been inappropriately used – and is not an acceptable means of fire stopping where pipes and cables pass between the floors of a building. In this instance, a requirement was made for a compartmentation survey (‘type 2 fire risk assessment’) to be undertaken by an accredited competent person.
Compare and contrast this with the second photograph on the right which shows the correct way of fire stopping — which involves the process of sealing openings to prevent or slow the spread of fire, heat, and smoke between building compartments.