If you want your building to be safe for the occupants, it must meet BCA standards, but your responsibility does not end there. Passive fire protection is a key element of project compliance to ensure you and your building don’t get burned, literally or legally.

Fire stopping penetrations is a growing area of concern for fire engineers and building surveyors, and with good reason. If a builder or service trade gets it wrong, the potential consequences are right up there with “catastrophic” on your company’s risk register.

While some fire stopping materials have a substantial lifespan, service penetrations need both initial and regular audits to assess their efficacy. In the worst-case scenario, where a fire is able to spread through a building leading to major loss of assets or lives, could see company directors go to jail. Penetrations testing is non-negotiable.

It’s obviously never the intention of the builder to allow non-compliant systems to be installed or poorly maintained, but there are some common mistakes that can be avoided with our guidance.

Common mistakes we see

  • Not having a compliant penetrations register for the project.
  • Using untested products or combinations of products that do not meet Australian Standards.
  • Using the wrong fire stopping material for the type of penetration.
  • Building alterations made after original design or construction without considering the impact on penetrations.
  • Not having clearly labelled penetrations stickers.

The standard, AS 4072.1 specifications for the protection of openings in fire-resistant separating elements, service penetrations and control joints, provides great detail on what is required to protect your penetrations.

PROFINISH Fire Protection is your trusted third party auditor that can provide you with a central register of your fire safety compliance, as well as install any passive fire protection upgrades required. Our audit report will clearly outline which points pass or fail based on the standard. 

For all failed points, you can supply the information back to your service trade or PROFINISH can continue on the project and carry out any rectification in order to gain a pass. Even if we weren’t your original fire protection supplier, we will assist you with complete testing,  reporting and rectification.

Why you need an accurate register

There is little room for error when it comes to passive fire protection as lives literally depend on it. Every project must have a penetrations register proving that your passive fire protection is up to code. The register is linked to a site plan and is your single source of truth. It shows the service type, what products have been installed and where in the building it is located. During an audit each penetration is individually tested, photographed and mapped.

Your completed register will indicate:

  • What material is penetrating through the wall (or whether it is just a void)
  • The system required to be installed
  • What is the FRL required to be achieved
  • Who installed it and what date it was installed
  • All test reports relevant to the system installed
  • Where in the test report it has been referenced

Individual penetration record example

 

Penetrations Audit Example

Example map of penetration locations

Penetrations Audit Plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The penetration register will be required as part of your project handover documentation and could be requested by the BCA or project stakeholders at any time. 

A register also provides a reference for any future maintenance.

How often do existing penetrations need testing?

If your building hasn’t received a complete penetrations audit since the original report, the answer is as soon as possible. As an independent third party auditor we can assess your building no matter who completed the original passive fire installation. 

PROFINISH Fire Protection recommends you audit your penetrations on a yearly basis. This ensures absolute code compliance in line with any legislation updates. 

Book your audit today

Talk to one of our friendly team members about arranging your fire penetrations audit today by calling 03 5224 1226 or contact us for a quote.