FPA raises building safety concerns over fibre cabling proposals

Building safety concerns in telecoms works

The Fire Protection Association (FPA) has warned that relaxing oversight of telecommunications work could increase risks to life and weaken fire compartmentation where penetrations through fire-resisting construction are poorly managed.

In its response to the government consultation Improving Proportionality and Building Safety Outcomes in Building Control: Telecommunications work, the FPA said concerns from its membership centred on penetrations that are inadequately reinstated after work is completed.

The consultation response states: “building control procedural requirements and the drilling of holes for anything, including fibre-optic cabling, are two separate issues.

“The procedural requirements ought to guarantee the fire safety protection measures are compliant.

“If they do not then they are the wrong requirements.”

The FPA said even minor works can create serious risks when fire-resisting elements are breached.

It warned: “There is the potential for the spread of fire or smoke through deficient fire protected structure which may lead to a Risk of Death or Serious Injury.”

The response added that FPA members “generally view the risk from uncontrolled drilling and inadequate fire-stopping as high.”

Records and oversight

The FPA said accurate and current as-built drawings are often not readily available in many buildings.

It stated: “In many buildings, accurate and up-to-date ‘as-built’ drawings are not readily available, making it difficult for installers or Responsible Persons to confirm whether a wall is fire-resisting or to verify its original level of protection”.

The response said this uncertainty can leave breaches inadequately sealed and undetected for long periods.

It also warned that reducing notification or approval requirements could make unsafe works invisible to enforcing authorities.

The response states: “There is a very clear risk of works being permitted under dispensations that allow them to become invisible to enforcing authorities,”

It said this could remove the requirement to consult Fire and Rescue Authorities on material changes to occupied premises.

FPA opposes blanket dispensation

Drawing on lessons cited in its response, the FPA referred to the 2009 Lakanal House fire and said the systematic deconstruction of fire resistance over time and across multiple refurbishments led to horizontal and vertical fire and smoke spread.

Survey feedback from members strongly opposed any blanket dispensation for fibre-optic cabling works.

The response reported that “most felt it would not be appropriate to reduce or remove building control procedures for drilling holes for fibre-optic cabling, even with assurances that safety would be maintained”, and said many emphasised that “any penetration through fire-resisting barriers requires proper controls, documentation, and oversight.”

The FPA said any proportionate approach should rely on competence, assurance and traceability, including tested and approved fire-stopping products, clear records of work and effective handover information for building owners and accountable persons.

It concluded that weakening procedural safeguards without robust alternative controls would be unjustified and warned: “It is not reasonable to presume, without reliable evidence, that work affecting fire protection will be done to an appropriate standard.”