Exploring the potential for a certification scheme for fire stopping: report

Research to take forward the proposal from the final report from the Review Panel on Building Standards Compliance and Enforcement and identify if there is a demand for a certification scheme for fire-stopping within the current Scottish building warrant process.


Appendix 1 - Research methodology

The following research themes and questions were investigated:

Research objective

Line of questions:

Determining the appetite and demand for a new certification scheme for fire-stopping

  • How the construction industry and verifiers are responding to high-profile building failures and resulting inquiries
  • Future developments in the industry regarding the installation of fire safety measures
  • Views on existing certification schemes in Scotland, strengths, weaknesses, gap regarding fire safety installations
  • If/how a new certification scheme covering fire safety measures could improve compliance and plug gaps
  • Appetite/demand for a new certification scheme and justifications

Knowledge, skills and qualification requirements of fire safety installers

  • Gaps in the knowledge and skills of fire safety installers
  • Qualifications and experience requirements of fire safety installers

Training demand and supply, including availability and quality of current provision

  • Training demand/supply dynamic for fire safety installers, including:
    • Availability of qualifications and other training courses;
    • Perceived suitability of qualifications and training content;
    • Scale of demand in relation to available supply;
    • Whether demand is increasing/static/declining
  • Further details about the content of ‘fire prevention’ training and professional development modules:
    • whether training is mandatory/optional
    • delivery method (classroom/online/other)
    • frequency that content is reviewed
  • Views on how existing training and qualifications provision should be strengthened

Technical scope of a new certification scheme for fire-stopping

  • What the technical scope for a new certification scheme should look like, factoring in:
    • fire-stopping
    • wider passive/active fire safety measures
    • coverage of domestic/non-domestic buildings
    • risk level of buildings and how these should be defined and used

Implementation of considerations, including key players to be involved, their skills and capacity;

  • Broad exploration of operational considerations associated with setting up and running a certification scheme.
  • The technical, administrative and audit skills of organisations delivering a new certification scheme for fire-stopping;
  • Inventory of UK national (and specifically Scotland-based) fire safety organisations
  • Appetite and capacity of these organisations to deliver such a scheme, either solely or collaboratively
  • Any implications for delivery if the building standards delivery model were to be re-shaped to create a centralised national hub

Potential impact and benefits

  • Applications
  • Insurance

Contact

Email: buildingstandards@gov.scot

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