FIS is proud to support No Falls Week, taking place from 12–16 May 2025 — a vital campaign aimed at raising awareness of the risks associated with working at height and promoting best practices across the construction industry.

Launched in 2024, No Falls Week serves as a rallying call to reduce the number of preventable incidents caused by falls, which remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities in the UK. According to the latest data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 40 people lost their lives to falls from height in 2022–23, accounting for 30% of all workplace deaths.

Whether you’re a contractor, supplier, or site manager, No Falls Week provides an opportunity to reflect on current practices and ensure robust safety procedures are in place. The campaign aims to equip everyone working at height with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to make safer choices — because every worker deserves to return home safely at the end of the day.

How You Can Get Involved:

• Raise Awareness: Share safety reminders and key messages with your teams throughout the week.

• Review Procedures: Use this opportunity to revisit your working at height policies and risk assessments.

• Host a Toolbox Talk: Organise a session to discuss best practices, common risks, and how to prevent falls.

• Share Your Story: Highlight what your company is doing to improve height safety — tag FIS and use #NoFallsWeek to spread the message.

FIS will be supporting the campaign by sharing resources and encouraging members to actively engage with the initiative. Let’s work together to build a safer industry, one where no fall is inevitable.

For more information and resources, visit the No Falls Week website or contact the FIS team.

The FIS Health and Safety Working Group met on 13^th March 2025, Chaired by David Cant of Veritas Consulting.  The mission of this group is through guidance, collaborative working and influencing external stakeholders to make sure people working in our sector are kept healthy and safe.

Key points of discussion included reducing accidents with plaster boards and pallets, focusing on the need for a suitable pallet truck. New manual handling training being developed through FIS in partnership with Construction People targeting musculoskeletal disorders.

The group also discussed addressed challenges with face fit testing and PPE for bearded workers, the use of and control of RPE, dust awareness training, and the challenges of fixed and semi-fixed knives being used on site.

A number of task and finish groups were established to develop guidance and co-ordinate proposed activities

They concluded with a reminder about the upcoming asbestos webinar that FIS is running with UKATA.

Full minutes of the meeting are available here

FIS is aware of reports raised through CROSS (Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK) that highlight potential problems that members need to consider regarding passive fire protection implications around cladding and active fire protection implications of sprinklers being deactivated during the construction phase.
The reports can be viewed on the CROSS website using the links below:

Fire barrier requirements in external wall systems | CROSS
Fires involving thermally modified wood | CROSS
Automatic Opening Vents not functional after two cladding remediations | CROSS
Sprinkler system deactivated during construction works | CROSS

CROSS is a confidential reporting system which allows professionals working in the built environment to report on fire and structural safety issues. These are then published anonymously to share lessons learned, create positive change, and improve safety.

A comprehensively revised Code of Practice for the selection of building hardware for fire-resisting and escape door assemblies and doorsets has been published by The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) and the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF).

This new edition, issue No. 5, is the first revision in more than a decade, and represents a significant update and consolidation of previous guidelines to reflect the very latest legislative requirements and best practices in the industry.
It provides an essential reference and resource for a broad spectrum of construction industry professionals including architects, building control officers, fire officers, responsible persons, duty holders, manufacturers, specifiers, and suppliers of building hardware and fire doors.

GAI technical manager Douglas Masterson said: “The primary goal of this Code of Practice is to ensure that key stakeholders throughout the construction industry have access to the most current and comprehensive advice on selecting hardware that meets the stringent requirements for fire safety and escape routes
“While the Code is advisory, it is designed to provide robust guidance that aligns with the latest legal standards.
“While compliance with the Code does not confer immunity from legal, local authority or insurance requirements, it will significantly enhance the safety and reliability of fire-resisting and escape door assemblies.”

The Code addresses a wide range of legislative requirements, including:
· Construction Products Regulations in both the EU and UK.
· Building Regulations throughout the UK and Ireland, including the Building Regulations 2010 (England & Wales), Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, and Building Regulations 1997-2021 (Ireland).
· Workplace Fire Safety Legislation across the UK and Ireland, such as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
· Equality Legislation applicable in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland.

Additionally, the Code considers third-party certification schemes and declarations of conformity with relevant standards, ensuring that the guidance provided is both comprehensive and up to date.
The Code applies to building hardware used on timber fire doors with up to two hours of fire resistance and steel fire doors with up to four hours of fire resistance.
The hardware items covered are categorised into essential items necessary for the successful operation of the doors (such as pivots and hinges, door closing devices, latch or locks, intumescent and smoke seals, and panic bolts), and optional (non-essential) items that could potentially cause door failure if not properly selected or installed.
As a part of this revision there are several new sections relating to electric locking and access control, which are of increasing importance in the world of building hardware.
Issue 5 of the Code replaces the previous issue 4, as well as all previous codes of practice published by both the Association of Building Hardware Manufacturers (now DHF) and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, all of which have been withdrawn to ensure that professionals are working with the most current and relevant information.

DHF general manager Michael Skelding said: “This revision is the result of more than two years work by the teams at the DHF and GAI in conjunction with technical specialists at the leading companies in our industry.
“The result should be seen as an essential reference document for anyone involved in the selection, installation and testing of building hardware and furniture for fire and escape doors.”

Code of Practice: Hardware for Fire and Escape Doors edition 5 can be downloaded for free at www.firecode.org.uk