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Regulation 38 Documentation

Regulation 38 is a requirement (under building regulations) that states that anyone carrying out construction works (no matter how big or how small), which include any element of fire safety, must provide all relevant documentation to the building owner/building user (i.e. the Responsible Person).

This is so they have an understanding and knowledge of what systems are present in the building and can continue to maintain and operate them on a regular basis.

Put simply, if you carry out any fire safety or fire protection works on a building, you need to provide all of the information about that system to the building owner when it is complete.

Trident provide a "Fire Safety (Regulation 38) Document" that includes a comprehensive summary of all fire safety measures present within the building, plus guidance on testing and maintenance, in an easily accessible format.

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Regulation 38 Documentation | Trident Fire Compliance

Why do I need Regulation 38 documentation?

Every building will have some degree of fire safety built into it, making Regulation 38 applicable.

This might be as simple as just a manual fire alarm system, or it could be as complicated as a fire engineered smoke extraction system with AOVs, fire dampers and full integrated fire alarm system.

In any case, the building user or owner has a responsibility under the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005 to maintain these systems as required and know how to operate them should a fire occur.

By having the relevant information about the system, such as; what the system is, who installed it, and what it’s purpose is, the building owner can make informed decisions on how to maintain it for future years.

It will also be vital during fire risk assessments to prove to fire risk assessors that fire safety measures are present in the building, and that they work and operate as they were intended to.

If this information is lacking or not present, a fire risk assessor might recommend you replace the entire system which can be costly.

In fact, this is one of the key recommendations identified in the Hackitt Report following the Grenfell disaster.

Hackitt identified that there is a significant lack of documentation and knowledge with regards to fire safety in new and existing buildings.

Information is lost quickly and never recovered which makes ongoing fire safety maintenance a concern.

The purpose of Trident “Regulation 38 Document” is to provide the building user/owner, any other relevant stakeholder (such as a fire risk assessor or the fire and rescue service), with a quick reference to any fire safety system they have within their building.

This allows them to identify what has been installed and why, and how it is best maintained/operated.

It is important to note that our“Regulation 38 Document” is not a fire strategy, as this is designed by a fire engineer at building construction or retrospectively on existing buildings.

Why choose Trident?

A Trident “Regulation 38 Document” collates all the fire safety documentation for the building into a simple to use document for any person involved with the building.

We will take all of the as-built information and outline every fire safety system in place, as well as it’s purpose, operation and maintenance.

The document will include all of the relevant manufacturer’s and installer’s details for easy quick reference.

Our aim is to take the guesswork out of building maintenance and operation with regards to fire safety and make it easier for building owners to manage their buildings, making them safer and more efficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Under Regulation 38 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person for the building should have all information pertaining to the fire safety systems of their building available so that they can continue to enact the fire safety measures and maintain them successfully.

This can range from the locations and types of smoke extraction systems, to the type of fire doors in the building, all the way down to the type of wiring used for the fire alarm system.

Without this information to hand, it is very difficult to know where, how, what and why a fire protection system is present in the building, which makes maintenance and operation even more difficult.

If you do not have this information available, then it is critical then you take steps to obtain this information or have new documentation created to support the building's fire safety design.

Having fire strategy drawings for your building is a very important means of managing fire safety.

These drawings will tell you where your fire alarm system is operating, where there are fire doors, where fire compartments are located, and (more importantly) where the quickest and safest means of escape from the building are.

When carrying out surveys without these drawings, Trident will use our expert knowledge of fire safety guidelines to make reasonable assumptions regarding the locations of fire compartments, fire doors and cavity barriers.

However, it will be down to the Responsible Person (or their nominated representative such as a Fire Risk Assessor or Fire Officer) to accept the recommendations we make.

With passive fire protection, the methods of firestopping, structural protection and cavity fire barriers are either; very similar in appearance and performance, or are very clearly distinctive in appearance and installation.

Using our wide knowledge of passive fire protection system, Trident can typically make reasonably accurate deductions based on appearance and installation alone (without product information to hand) of what systems have been installed when inspecting buildings and make reasonable conclusions on whether they are compliant or not.

No. Trident Fire Compliance is predominantly a passive fire protection consultancy, but we are proficient in the fire safety guidelines supporting building regulations (i.e. Approved Document B and BS9999/BS9991).

As such, Trident is often instructed to carry out reviews of fire strategy documentation which has been provided by the client to ensure that all elements of fire safety required by the applicable guidelines has been considered and is correct/compliant.

We are able to confirm that proposals meet the criteria set out by the guidelines and also identify issues that do not comply or require further detailing.

However, Trident do not take design liability for the fire strategy proposal for the building.

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What our clients say...

"Trident's ability to cover the portfolio, their flexibility in regards to site attendance, their support during the initial discussions and scoping of the project, offering advice to Landsec and the installing contractors, and their general engagement throughout, has proved to be a key link in the ultimate success of the project.

As a result of the service provided Trident have been invited to play a keep role in all new developments around passive fire protection reviews and sign off.

I have worked with and alongside many consultants at Landsec and throughout my career and I would have no hesitation in recommending Trident to any organisation."

Chris Murray (Compliance Manager) Landsec

"We have been involved on a number of projects with Trident over the last few years and wished all compliance/consultancy companies were similar.

It’s always refreshing to deal with Trident as they have a very pro-active approach to resolving problems as and when they arise on projects.

As a fire protection contractor, we are often left in scenarios where we cannot install a tested solution. Normally this leaves us in a difficult position of trying to resolve the issue but being unable to certify the works.

When working with Trident they handle communication between the contractor and client and explain issues, often offering expert advice regarding robust details to achieve ‘best practice solutions’.

Always a good experience when working with Trident and I would have no hesitation recommending them to anyone.

AFP look forward to continuing to work with Trident on future projects."

Andy Webb AF Protection Limited

"We needed to demonstrate that our fire protection works were correctly installed and were compliant with the manufacturer's requirements, as we didn’t hold formal UKAS fire certification ourselves.

The Trident inspectors were already known to us as they’ve been working in the fire protection industry in various roles for many years, thus they’ve built up many contacts such as NBC during this time.

Trident are flexible, professional, practical, have great trade based experience and understand that we have to provide a workable solution in our fire protection works.

Trident achieved our requirements and expectations in all cases. We would use their services again and often recommend them to others."

Steve Simmonds New Barton Contracts Ltd. (Incorporating Watergate Services Ltd.)

"We were looking to overcome a tricky solution to refurbish and remodel an existing single story building to become a mental health unit.

This required more stringent fire compartmentalisation that the building could easily deliver – hence a well thought through and ‘designed’ solution was required.

Trident's ability to work alongside our Trust Fire Officer but, more importantly, their willingness to design solutions (where off-the-peg solutions would not work) and take responsibility for that design exceeded our expectations."

Mark Maffey Solent NHS Trust

We required help with a report on fire compartmentation, design recommendations and inspections.

Trident's service is very, very good. The firm is reactive, helpful and responsive. They give clear instruction and communicate well.

As a result, Trident exceeded our expectations and we would the rate their service 10/10.

We will definitely use their services again and would recommend Trident to others."

Adrian Crowe H A Marks Limited

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Talk to us about your next project

Trident Fire Compliance strive to be the first port of call with regards to passive fire protection and fire safety. We want you to get it right first time.

Our expert consultants can work with you through design, construction and end-use of a building to ensure it is compliant to the regulations and guidelines.

Get in touch to see how we can help you. Let’s work together to achieve compliance.


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