Updates to Approved Document B (fire safety) published incorporating 2022 amendments

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has republished Approved Document B (fire safety) volumes 1 and 2 incorporating 2020 and 2022 amendments.

Approved Documents are designed to provide practical guidance on how to meet the Building Regulations 2010 for England. Approved Document B contains guidance on fire safety, covering means of escape, fire spread, structural fire protection and fire service access. It is applicable to England only.

Approved Document B has now been amended to incorporate a series of legislative changes that have been passed in 2020 and 2022, following the fallout of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 and its consequent inquiry findings.

Updated Approved Document B volumes can be found on the government website, here.

The key changes to note are as follows…

Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 1: Dwellings

Changes as a result of 2020 amendments:

• Sprinklers
  • A reduction in the trigger height from 30m to 11m
• Wayfinding signage for the fire service
  • A new recommendation for floor identification and flat indication signage within blocks of flats with storeys over 11m

Changes as a result of the 2022 amendments:

• Ban of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings (following the Building (England) Regulations 2022 amendments
• A new recommendation for secure information boxes in blocks of flats with storeys over 11m
• A new recommendation for evacuation alert systems in blocks of flats with storeys over 18m

Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings

Changes as a result of 2020 amendments:

• Sprinklers
  • A reduction in the trigger height from 30m to 11m
• Wayfinding signage for the fire service
  • A new recommendation for floor identification and flat indication signage within blocks of flats with storeys over 11m

Changes as a result of the 2022 amendments:

• Ban of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings (following the Building (England) Regulations 2022 amendments

EBOOK: Lessons from FIREX 2023 – Emerging challenges in fire safety

Read our FREE eBook, which provides a summary of the key debates and presentations that took place at FIREX 2023 in May, alongside additional exclusive content for readers.

Chapters cover new fire safety construction guidance, how to mitigate the risk of lithium-ion battery fires, and evacuation planning. There's also exclusive insight into the resident's view of the building safety crisis, and how the fire safety and sustainability agendas can work together.

Get your copy today!