Preventing Fires, Saving Lives

OJ Building Services was engaged by Woodhouse Workspace to conduct a condition inspection of the work area at a DHL industrial office facility, following the identification of potential fire protection non-conformances during the early strip-out phase of the refurbishment project.

Our inspection revealed several areas of non-compliance, all of which were carefully documented and reported to the client. Each issue was accompanied by a detailed explanation and clear recommendations for appropriate rectification.

The project demise spans a single floor, where a significant issue was noted within the raised floor cavity barrier system. In multiple sections, cavity barriers were either completely absent or installed at intervals exceeding the maximum 20-metre limit allowed under current regulations, leaving unprotected voids that could enable the uncontrolled spread of smoke and fire.

Additional observations included legacy fire protection that had been dry-fitted and had since loosened. Mastic and ablative coatings were also showing signs of deterioration, with age-related cracking and shrinkage, issues commonly encountered during refurbishment works, particularly in the absence of regular maintenance or an established inspection regime.

The OJ Fire Protection remit was to fully remove all non-compliant raised floor cavity barriers and replace them with new, fully compliant systems, mechanically fixed back to the structural substrate. This ensured that no concealed void exceeded the 20-metre threshold in any direction, in line with current fire safety regulations.

All instructed remediation works were carried out in accordance with the FIRAS accreditation scheme and was fully documented and certified upon completion.

As part of the client's due diligence process, OJ Fire Protection Services was commissioned to carry out a detailed condition inspection of passive fire stopping across all landlord areas of this 12-storey, multi-core commercial office building in central London.

The base build fire protection system, originally installed over 20 years ago, showed signs of natural ageing, including wear, shrinkage, and cracking. With numerous service installations and removals carried out over time by various contractors, the client sought assurance that the building's fire strategy and compartmentation remained intact.

Scope of Forensic Condition Survey:

• Comprehensive inspection of specific designated landlord areas, with photographic documentation and detailed reporting of existing passive fire stopping conditions.
• Targeted repairs to single and grouped service penetrations.
• Remediation of compromised compartmentation resulting from new tenant service installations.
• Rectification of breaches caused by removal of redundant services.
• Repairs and upgrades to aged or non-compliant base build firestopping to ensure alignment with current building regulations.

Our survey provided the client with a clear understanding of the current state of passive fire protection throughout the building and a roadmap for achieving compliance and long-term integrity of fire-resisting compartments.

The OJBS team are tasked with the passive fire protection & fire stopping to 118 private, housing association & affordable housing apartments across 6 levels of this new structurally built LGS metal frame building.

The revolutionary preformed structural Lightweight Steel Panel System is manufactured off site, in the UK, and transferred to the project via articulated vehicle where the panels can be craned directly into finished position.

The OJBS remit was to work to the design teams detail and protect the LGS steel frame where services penetrated the fire rated wall and ceiling boards and the cavities against the transfer of heat and spread of smoke & fire between adjacent apartments and apartment to the common areas.

All individual services were protected as per the manufacturers recommended guidance on installation with a combination of intumescent fire rated graphite mastic's, intumescent pipe wraps, collars, ablative batts, fire rated mastic and structural fire compounds all to achieve the required 90 minute fire rating.

Due to changes in project direction and wider contractual developments, the programme has been extended and the project remains ongoing.