BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION CODE OF PRACTICE

​The 2016 code of practice has been changed to refer to timber fire door assemblies alone and no longer includes information for fire door assemblies based on other materials (e.g. steel). It continues to apply only to hinged or pivoted pedestrian door assemblies and does not refer to doorsets, which are now considered to fall within the scope of BS EN 16034.

 

The importance of third-party testing and certification to demonstrate product performance has been noted throughout the code of practice, and where prescriptive guidance has been given which might conflict with the evidence available, it has generally been removed. There is greater emphasis on the provision of supporting information by the manufacturer – for example, there is an expectation that full assembly instructions are made available – and a new appendix has been included which brings together all occasions in the standard when the manufacturer’s information is to be provided.

 

Any site operations (such as installation and maintenance) are recommended to be undertaken by competent persons and preferably someone who is endorsed by a third-party scheme covering that operation. Any references to the BS 5588 series of standards with regards to fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings have been updated to refer BS 9991 (for residential buildings) and BS 9999 (for all other buildings), while the references to fire safety engineering approaches defined in BS 7974 have been retained.