I have spent nearly four days reading and reviewing all the necessary legislation Actually I have spent a lot longer than that as I was reviewing legislation relating to B&B's over a year ago. It is very clear that each authority clearly thinks their bit of legislation is the singularly most important and that whilst it is very involved it is not an issue as the others probably aren't so involved so you should easily be able to devote more time to theirs. Sadly ALL of them are important (unquestionably) and ALL of them are very involved. Some are totally prescriptive whilst others are so called guides 'as properties are so individual'. They too have strict rules built in but also many grey areas that are left with the owner to evaluate. For example the building regs. dept. won't come around and advise prior to works and it is up to you to attempt to find them, try to identify which ones are appropriate and ensure that you are within the regulations prior to starting. As they just want to know how much your quotes add up to (this gives them the criteria of how much in fees to charge us) and a start date so they can visit the site to tell you everything that you may have missed when trying to research it in the first place.
The Fire Regs. fall into the slightly vague, but interpret it incorrectly and your likely to get an improvement notice and incur several hundreds of pounds of extra building work. These two areas (Building Regs. & Fire Regs.) seem to bounce the odd requirement off to each other, "you can do this or that as long as it does not clash with any opposing Departments regulations" Which they quite often do.
For example the Norfolk Planning Dept. consider a B&B officially needs planning permission for change of use to a Guest House if it has 50% of its rooms occupied by paying guests for 50% of the year. Whereas the Norfolk Building Regulations define that you come into the Guest House bracket if you have more than 6 people sleeping overnight made up of paying guests and including anyone who lives in the property on a long term basis, i.e. me and Alison.
So I continue to sift through the swamp of information to ensure that I am abiding by the needs of the wealth of official governing bodies out there, the:-
Trading Standards,
Envionmental Health,
Planning Dept.,
Building Regs.,
Fire Regs.,
The Tourist Board,
Parish Council,
The Tax man,
The local allotment association and
the woman that glances in my window every time she walks past giving my décor taste a critical once over.
After being told by the Fire Prevention Officer that they don't do house calls any more (well I hope that doesn't include when they are on fire) and that all the info I need can be downloaded on the internet. I proceeded to do that. The site very helpfully suggests that you don't down load the book but order it for just £12 as it is quite large at 144 pages. Too right! But I have to instruct builders and electricians, so I had to read it all on-line to try to make sure that I have got everything written into their respective 'specifications' so they can quote for all that is required (remember I need these quotes so the Building Regs Office can charge me the appropriate fee for their inspections).
Below is a collection of the more salient of the points from the 144 pages that I need to consider how I am going to tackle but they are not the only items as such. So I thought, if you fancied an extended read today, I would include them to give you a little sense of the volume of factors that just one of the afore mentioned official bodies presents for my attention.
And just perhaps by the weekend I'll find time to get back to decorating the guest bedroom again!
Fire Alarms
In simple premises of limited size/occupation e.r. ground and first floor with a small number of guests / residents, an alternative system of interconnected smoke alarms or point detectors, incorporating interconnected manual call points and, where necessary separate sounders may be acceptable.
The Fire warning sound levels should be loud enough to alert everyone, taking into account background noise. In sleeping areas, to ensure that people are woken, a sufficient sound level should be achieved at the head of the bed (i.e. 75dBA). This will usually mean the fitting of a sounder device in each bedroom.
Automatic Fire detection;
Grade D LD2 Houses in multiple occupation and small premises, e.g. bed and breakfast of up to two storey's (up to one floor above ground) with no floor greater than 200msq.
Therefore.... This grade means that we must have..... an automatic fire detection system (designed for dwellings) based on an interconnected mains powered smoke alarms (with Battery back-up) with detectors sited in escape routes (including rooms that open on to escape routes) and in rooms or areas that present a high fire risk to occupants, detailed in
BS 5839-6 (90).
If you are unsure that your existing system is adequate you will need to consult a competent person.
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Fire Extinguishers
In simple premises, having one or two portable extinguishers of the appropriate type, readily available for use, may be all that is necessary. In more complex premises, more portable extinguishers may be required and they should be sited in suitable locations, e.g. on the escape routes at each floor level. It may also be necessary to indicate the location of extinguishers by suitable signs.
Number and type of extinguishers
Typically for the Class A fire risk, the provision
of one water-based extinguisher for approximately
every 200m2 of floor space, with a minimum
of two extinguishers per floor, will normally
be adequate
In self-contained small premises multi-purpose
extinguishers which can cover a range of risks
may be appropriate. Depending on the outcome
of your fire risk assessment, it may be possible
to reduce this to one extinguisher in very small
premises with a floor space of less than 90m2.
Note to self;
Steward Safety Supplies Ltd
Steward House, The Drift Industrial Estate, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 8EF
Telephone: 01328 855253
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You should avoid having combustible wall and ceiling linings in your escape routes. The new walls?
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Escape routes
In general there should be at least two escape routes from all parts of the premises but a single escape route may be acceptable in some circumstances (e.g. part of your premises accommodating less than 60 people or where travel distances are limited).
Escape routes that provide escape in a single direction only may need additional fire precautions to be regarded as adequate.
Exit doors on escape routes and final exit doors should normally open in the direction of travel, and be quickly and easily openable without the need for a key. Checks should be made to ensure final exits are wide enough to accomodate the number of people who may use the escape routes they serve.
Wherever practicable,
differences of level in corridors, passages and
lobbies should be overcome by the provision
of inclines or ramps of gradients not exceeding
I in 12 or steps not having less than three
risers in any flight. Corridors and passages
should be level for a distance of 1.5 metres in
each direction from any steps.
Fire-resisting construction
The type and age of construction are crucial
factors to consider when assessing the
adequacy of the existing escape routes. To
ensure the safety of people it may be necessary
to protect escape routes from the effects of a
fire. In older premises (see Appendix C for
more information on historical properties) it is
possible that the type of construction and
materials used may not perform to current fire
standards.
Reasonable standards of structural fire
resistance for normal risk buildings used for
sleeping accommodation can be found in
Approved Document B.24 Essentially, all upper
floors in sleeping premises should be of
30minutes fire resistance.
All corridors serving sleeping areas should be
protected routes with 30 minutes fire resistance.
• E30 fire-resisting door providing 30 minutes
fire resistance (or equivalent FD 30S).
Self-closing devices
All fire-resisting doors, other than those to
locked cupboards and service ducts should
be fitted with an appropriately controlled selfclosing
device that will effectively close the
door from any angle. In certain circumstances,
concealed, jamb-mounted closing devices may
be specified and in these cases should be
capable of closing the door from any angle
and against any latch fitted to the door; spring
hinges are unlikely to be suitable. Further
information is given in BS EN 1154.38
The minimum width of an escape route should
not be less than 750mm (unless it is for use by
less than five people in part of your premises)
As a general rule stairways should be at least
1050mm wide and in any case not less than
the width of the escape routes that lead to
them. In all cases the aggregate capacity of the
stairways should be sufficient for the number
of people likely to have to use them in case
of fire.
Escape routes Suggested range of travel distance (Note 3, Note 4)
Where only a single escape route 9m in a bedroomNote 1 and higher fire risk area (Note 2)
is provided 18m in normal fire risk area
25m in a lower fire risk area (Note 3)
Note 2:
Where there are small higher risk areas this travel distance should apply. Where the risk assessment indicates that the whole building is higher
risk, seek advice from a competent person.
Note 3:
The travel distance for lower risk premises should only be applied in exceptional cases in the very lowest risk premises where densities are
low, occupants are familiar with the premises, have excellent visual awareness, and very limited combustibles.
Note 4:
In areas of assembly such as function rooms, bars or restaurants which are completely separated from the sleeping accommodation then the
travel distances in the assembly guide can be used for those areas, e.g. for a normal fire risk area, 45m where more than one route is
provided and 18m where only a single escape route is provided.
When assessing travel distances you need to
consider the distance to be travelled by people
when escaping allowing for walking around
equipment, plant storage units etc. The
distance should be measured from all parts of
the premises to the nearest place of reasonable
safety which is:
• a protected stairway enclosure (storey exit);
• a separate fire compartment from which
there is a final exit to a place of total
safety; or
• the nearest available final exit.
The suggested travel distances may be
increased by the addition of further fire
protection measures, e.g. automatic fire
detection
For marquees, the travel distance from any part
of the structure having more than one exit
should be 24m – after the first 6.5m the
remainder of the route should lead in different
directions to alternative exits. Similarly, where
there is only one exit, the travel distance
should not exceed 6.5m.
Measuring travel distance
The figures that follow are schematic only and
are intended to represent part of a larger building.
The route taken through the room or space
will be determined by the layout of the
contents (Figure 23). It is good practice to
ensure the routes to the room exits are kept
as direct and as short as possible, especially
in accommodation where sleeping will occur,
thus reducing the time taken to exit the room.
Escape routes with dead end conditions
If your premises has escape routes from which
escape can be made in one direction only
(a dead end), then an undetected fire in that
area could affect people trying to escape.
To overcome this problem, limit the travel
distance (see Table 3 on page 70) and use one
of the following solutions.
• Fit an automatic fire detection and warning
system in those areas where a fire could
present a risk to the escape route, if not
already in place (see Figure 29).
• Construct the exit route of fire-resisting
partitions and self-closing fire doors to
allow people to escape safely past a room
in which there is a fire (see Figure 30).
It is possible that you may have some stairways
which have no fire protection to them. In this
case they are not designed for escape and are
normally known as accommodation stairways
(see accommodation stairways on page 83).
If you do not have a protected stairway and,
depending on the outcome of your fire risk
assessment, it may be that you can achieve
an equivalent level of safety by other means.
However, before doing so you should seek
advice from a competent person.
Accommodation stairways
If you have stairways that are used for general
communication and movement of people in
the premises, and they are not designated as
fire escape stairs then these are called
‘accommodation stairways’. They may not
require fire separation from the remainder of
the floor as long as they do not pass through a
compartment floor, or people have to pass the
head of such a stairway to reach an escape
stairway. However, experience shows that
many people will continue to use these as an
escape route.
Accommodation stairways need not be
enclosed at ground floor level but they should
be enclosed at all other levels, and separated
from each other at ground floor level by a
minimum of 30 minutes fire-resisting
construction.
Accommodation stairways and escalators
should not normally form an integral part of
the calculated escape routes, however, where
your fire risk assessment indicates that it is safe
to do so, then you may consider them for that
purpose. In these circumstances you may need
to seek advice from a competent person.
• Final exit doors should be quickly and
easily openable without a key or code in
the event of a fire. Where possible, there
should be only one fastening. See
Appendix B3 for more information on
security fastenings. (We need to change the front door locks accordingly)
• There should be more than one escape
route from all parts of the premises (rooms
or storeys) except for areas or storeys with
an occupancy of less than 60.
Two storey (ground and first floor – small)
If your premises have one upper storey, served
by a single stairway and no floor exceeds
200m2 in area, the example in Figure 49
will be generally acceptable as long as the
following apply:
• The farthest point on all of your floors to the
storey exit is within the overall suggested
travel distance (see Table 3 on page 70).
• The upper floor should accommodate no
more than 60 people.
• The stairway is a protected route,
completely enclosed in 30-minute fire resisting
construction and all doors onto
the corridor and stairway are self-closing
fire doors.
• Access to the stairway from any room is
through one fire door.
• The automatic fire detection is as suggested
in Table 1 on page 70, e.g. Grade D LD2
or 3 system in a small bed and breakfast.
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Emergency escape lighting
People in your premises must be able to find their way to a place of total safety if there is a fire by using escape routes that have enough lighting.
In simple premises, eg a small bed and breakfast establishment of 2 floors (ie ground and First floor with no floor greater than 200sq mtre in area), where the secape routes are simple and straightforward, borrowed lighting from a dependable source, e.g. from street amps where they illuminate escape routes, may be acceptable. Exceptionally, where borrowed lighting is not available, suitabley placed torches may be acceptable for use by trained staff.
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Signs
A fire risk assessment that determines that no escape signs are required (because for example, trained staff will always be available to help members of the public to escape routes), is unlikely to be acceptable to an enforcing authority other than in the smallest and simplest of premises where the exits are in regular use and familiar to staff and guests.
..... Where the locations of escape routes and fire fighting equipment are readily apparent e.g. in a hotel foyer, and the fire fighting equipment is visible at all times, then signs are not necessary, in all other situations it is likely that the fire risk assessment will indicate that signs will be necessary.
Escape signs
In simple premises, a few signs indicating the
alternative exit(s) might be all that is needed.
A fire risk assessment (in other than very small
premises) that determines no escape signs are
required, as trained staff will always be
available to help members of the public to
escape routes, is unlikely to be acceptable to
an enforcing authority.
Other safety signs and notices
A number of other mandatory signs such as
‘Fire action’ notices may also be necessary.
Fire doors that have been fitted with selfclosing
devices should be labelled ‘Fire door –
keep shut’ on both sides (Figure 60).
Guest and resident notices
You will need to provide information to guests
and residents. This can be done by providing
notices about what to do in case of fire (fire
action notices). In small premises this may be
an action list; in larger more complex premises
this should be an action notice with plan
indicating the escape routes, see Figure 61.
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Historic buildings
Fire risk assessments conducted for sleeping
accommodation which is within a listed or
historic building will need to ensure that a
balance is struck between ensuring sufficient
fire safety measures are in place for the safety
of people, yet avoid extensive alterations and
helping to maintain the character of the building.
See, Easy........
Do you think that I should mention to anyone that I am going to be serving home made jam? Perhaps not eh!
1022
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