ASFP President Fires Warning Shot Over Implementation Of New Legislation
Brian Robinson was speaking at this year's
ASFP President's luncheon, which took place at the Palace of Westminster
in November. The event attracted more
than 120 guests from the passive fire protection industry, both Houses of
Parliament, the Civil Service, the Business Community Safety Forum, the
insurance community, other fire related Associations and ASFP members.
The ASFP President stressed the importance
of the interaction of the two distinct service and regulation changes in
respect of policy and approach.
'Change, when it involves potentially
hostile environment, should never be undertaken lightly especially when the
responsibility for that safety rests, to some extent, on untried processes and
where, as far as I can see, qualification for competence in a number of spheres
is unclear. The question to be asked is,
as we move from a system which, although outmoded, has withstood the test of
time and encompass a completely new approach in which all sectors of the
industry, (fire service, installers, owners, planners and others) have to
change their thinking and operational practice and where that new system has a
direct bearing, on not only the lives of the population but on the country's
financial well-being, then it is surely reasonable to have in place checks and
balances that give national confidence regarding its implementation'.
He continued,
'It may be me, but at present I cannot see much in the way of national
audit to ensure safety during the transition.
Nor can I see assurance that the outcome of this brave new world will
provide stability in the safety process and a continued process of fire safety
protection consistent with the record of its predecessor arrangements'. 'It would be a sad day', he maintained
'if we only carried out this examination
after the event'.
Mr. Robinson questioned the notion of 'Engineered Solutions' and queried whether these 'solutions' were conceived on
the basis of safety or cost. If cost
reduction considerations were to take precedence and the average 'solution' was
designed to strip out as much passive fire protection as possible then the
outcomes, although not immediately visible, would be financially and
litigiously significant in the longer term.
'It
would be sensible for designers to ensure that contractors both understand and
are able to implement their plans.
Contracts must, in my view, be framed to ensure competent execution of
works and be supported by relevant approvals and certification. Third party accreditation should be a
pre-requisite for any meaningful certificate of conformity', he stressed.
'We
need Designers and Fire Safety Engineers with a relevant level of knowledge and
competence consistent with the scale of the building and with ongoing
accountability during the life of the building.
We also need competent, certified, contractors using properly designed
schemes for buildings and a consistent inspection regime. The 'Responsible Person' should be
demonstrably competent and qualified to the standard required. If not, then he/she should delegate the task
to someone with the required level of expertise'.
In his speech, David Hey, ASFP Chairman, reminded members that the UK fire protection market for construction applications was not expanding. He urged members to explore new and emerging markets and industry sectors outside the obvious building sector. 'The UK cake is not growing, so we have to adapt or be consumed in industry consolidation. We need to find new markets, either geographical or by industry sector. In the wake of the Regulatory Reform Order, this year has seen several ASFP members become qualified to inspect buildings for fire safety and at least four UK Applicators have set up operations in the Middle East in the search for new markets. The ASFP has also been instrumental in helping establish the United Arab Emirates Fire Protection Products Association. These are all good examples of the diversification needed', he stressed.
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