Scaffold sheeting and fire safety: why certification matters more than ever
The construction industry has entered a new era of scrutiny under the Building Safety Regulator, with a range of duty holders from principal contractors to designers now under greater pressure to demonstrate fire safety compliance. But as Carl Morse, Managing Director at ITP Ltd, argues, the same rigour being applied to completed buildings needs to be applied to active construction sites and scaffold sheeting is one of the areas where dangerous gaps in understanding remain.
Scaffold sheeting is a critical area of fire risk on any construction site, yet widespread misunderstanding of the relevant standards means many developers and contractors are operating without realising their scaffold solutions are not compliant. The root of the problem is often a confusion between materials that are flame-resistant and those that are genuinely flame-retardant. To meet the latter standard, a material must self-extinguish within a defined time when a flame is removed, must not contribute to the spread of fire and must not produce flaming droplets after flame removal.
The industry standard most commonly referenced is BS 7955:1999, which covers performance and test methods for containment nets and sheets on construction works and specifies flame retardancy certification alongside requirements for tensile strength and eyelet strength. This standard is recognised within the industry and endorsed by the HSE and insurance providers.
Equally important is the Fire Protection Association's Fire Prevention on Construction Sites guidance, which in its latest edition makes clear that scaffolding must comply with relevant fire safety standards on any contract valued over £2.5 million, or on smaller contracts forming part of a larger project valued over £20 million. The guidance also states that non-approved materials cannot be used on different parts of a building, at different heights or on different elevations.
There are two recognised bodies in the UK for certifying flame retardancy: Warringtonfire, under its Certifire scheme, and BRE Global through the Loss Prevention Certification Board. Warringtonfire applies TS62 certification for external applications and TS63 for internal. The LPCB's equivalent standards are LPS1215 for external and LPS1207 for internal use. Both sets of standards are referenced in the HSE's HSG168 Fire Safety in Construction guidance for scaffold sheeting, and apply to a wide range of temporary protective materials including scaffold sheeting, temporary roof sheeting, tarpaulins and meshes.
Achieving certification is a rigorous process, involving small, medium and large flammable liquid flame tests, smoke and toxic fume tests, ISO 9001 accreditation and regular factory audits covering raw material consistency, batch traceability and product quality. Scaffolding contractors should be cautious of suppliers claiming compliance based on one-off testing, partial testing or certificates several years old. Certified products should carry clear, authentic marking including the relevant approval mark, certificate number and product name on the material itself.
Debris netting is a particular area of confusion. Many products are marked with red stripes to indicate flame retardancy once packaging is removed, but these bands do not confirm whether the product has been subject to the full level of testing required for TS or LPS certification. Contractors should check certifying body websites to confirm that specifications and certificates are current, as these can and do change.
The consequences of non-compliance extend well beyond safety. The Joint Code of Practice on Protection from Fire of Construction Sites refers to the possible withdrawal of insurance cover for those failing to meet flame retardancy requirements, a potentially critical penalty given that insurance cover is typically a condition of working on a project.
This topic will be explored in depth at ScaffEx26 on Friday 11 September at Manchester Central, where a dedicated conference session called Hiding in Plain Sight The Hidden Risks of Getting It Wrong will tackle fire safety, dust exposure and contamination risks head on.
Running from 10.35am to 11.45am, it is one of the most directly relevant sessions in the conference programme for anyone responsible for scaffold sheeting compliance and fire safety on site. Registration for ScaffEx26 is free.
For more information about ITP's flame-retardant scaffold sheeting products, contact 01347 825 200 or email [email protected]
