The government has opened a consultation on whether the regulations concerning sprinklers in care homes should be changed.
The news follows a campaign by CIOB fellow Steven Miles and his wife Claire, whose mother died in a care home fire in 2017, to make sprinklers mandatory in all care homes (CM, January 2023).
There is currently no blanket recommendation for sprinklers in care homes within Building Regulations Approved Document B (ADB), which governs fire safety.
However, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has undertaken a technical review of the document and says it is now “minded… to recommend sprinklers in all care homes, irrespective of height”. DLUHC estimates the total cost of installing sprinklers into all new care homes at £161.5m.
The consultation, announced by Lee Rowley, minister for local government and building safety, also proposes mandating second staircases for new residential towers over 30m in height. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has called for second staircases on all new housing blocks that are classified as ‘higher-risk buildings’ under the Building Safety Act – those more than 18m or seven storeys high.
Other measures under consideration in the consultation include removing references to the national classifications (BS 476 series) from ADB. This means the dual system currently in place will end and construction product manufacturers will need to test their products to the British Standard version of the European Standards. The consultation closes on 17 March 2023.
Call for evidence
DLUHC will also be undertaking a call for evidence on revisions to ADB covering materials and products used in external walls. In practice, this will seek views on what materials should be covered and how best to improve the clarity of the guidance provided.
Rowley said: “There are undoubtedly lessons still to be learnt from the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the Department for Housing is committed to working with the sector and residents to explore what more needs to be done to make new homes across the country safe. This consultation is the next step in the department’s work to improve building regulations and make sure they are as clear and effective as possible.”
Claire Miles lost her mother in the Newgrange Care Home fire in Hertfordshire, in April 2017. One other resident died in the blaze. The operator pleaded guilty to five fire safety offences, and was fined £175,000, but did not fit sprinklers in the rebuild of the care home.
The Miles family argue that all care homes should be classified as ‘higher-risk buildings’ under the Building Safety Act and that sprinklers should be mandatory. CIOB is backing the campaign.
