The Government has published a document listing amendments to Volumes 1 and 2 of Approved Document B which will come into effect in September 2026.
These amendments principally concern:
- Threshold for the provision of a second staircase in blocks of flats with a storey 18m or more in height.
- Evacuation shafts are introduced to support the provision of evacuation lifts.
- Changes to provisions for fire doorsets.
- New terminology including definitions for evacuation shaft, evacuation lift lobby, interlocked stair and storey exit.
- Provisions for horizontal escape and vertical escape separated as per the structure of Volume 2.
The 2019 edition incorporating the 2020 and 2022 amendments will continue to apply where a building notice or an initial notice has been given to, or a building control approval application with full plans made to, the relevant authority before 30 September 2026 and either the building work to which it relates:
- has started and is sufficiently progressed before that day; or
- is started and is sufficiently progressed within the period of 18 months beginning on that day
You can view the amendments at the link below:
Fire safety: Approved Document B
FIS will publish further detailed guidance on these changes in the coming months.
See more news likes this
New Policy Statement to drive home the need to consider social value
The Government has published a new Procurement Policy Note PPN 05/21, a National Procurement Policy Statement that requires contracting authorities in the public sector to ensure procurements support the delivery of wider strategic policy objectives as set out in the...
It’s about collaboration… Interior System Installer Pilot
https://vimeo.com/563611287 In August 2020 one of our manufacturer members was approached by the Awarding Organisation NOCN for help in preparing test materials for the Interior Systems Installer Apprentice End Point Assessment (EPA) and brought this to the attention...
Managing shortages
With shortages dominating conversations, today, FIS hosted a webinar to help review where we all sit contractually. To kick us off we were joined by Ruth Wilkinson, Legal Director at Hill Dickinson who discussed the challenges that businesses in our sector face,...