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Fire conscious:
BS 9999
21 Oct 2008
Topics: Fire
With over 30,000 commercial fires handled by the fire service in the UK every year, the demand for a more fire-safety conscious approach to commercial buildings has been high for years.
At the same time, the introduction of the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act in April 2008 removed the biggest blocks to legal action against directors in the case of fires: the need to find a senior representative guilty of manslaughter in order to prosecute their company.
Perceived corporate negligence was often one of the key reasons for prosecution, which has made it more imperative for company directors to take fire safety into account in their places of business.
The publication of BS 9999 Code of practice for fire safety in the design, construction and use of buildings in September 2008 was developed to help safeguard the lives of commercial building occupants and fire-fighters, and by extension those using or working in buildings.
The standard covers the construction and use of buildings to maximize fire safety, including precautions and means of escape. It is applicable to new and existing buildings, especially when alterations to the structure of an existing building or to its use are being considered, and covers the entire life cycle of a building.
As part of the launch, a conference will be held in November 2008, to introduce the new standard and provide information on other guidance, as well as updates on legislation and where BS 9999 fits within this context.
For more information on standards: www.bsigroup.com/oct08firestandards
For more information on the conference: www.bsigroup.com/oct08fireconference
Business Standards © 2010. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with The British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
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Question: what is the value of a "non-
standard" standard, such as a PAS?
The PAS, or Publicly Available Specification, forms part of our spectrum of standards information ranging from full international consensus to bespoke individual company advice.
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