TRAINING QUESTIONS FOR BUILDING CONTROL

March

Fire spread in a bedroom

Approved Documents,
Building Regulations
Building Act


Fire Spread - Internal Linings, Part B2 and Fire Resistance, & Part B3 .

  1. What class of fire spread are the following materials:-


    1. Timber panelling
    2. Plasterboard without a skim coat of plaster. Emulsion Paint applied to paper surface.
    3. Brick walls
    4. Carpet on floor
    5. Suspended ceiling of fibre tiles
    6. 3mm thick polycarbonate lighting diffuser


  2. A golf club wants to extend one of their clubrooms to accommodate more members. The extended room will be 5 metres wide by 7m long. They propose to line the walls of this room with timber panelling. Is this a problem? If so, how can the problem be resolved?


  3. The Management Company of a block of flats would like to erect a timber notice board in the main entrance hall leading to the common stairs giving access to the flats. Is this OK? If not how could the problem be resolved?


  4. A house owner wants to erect a timber clad ceiling to the single storey rear extension of his two-storey house. Is this a problem?


  5. An owner of a 3 storey terraced house wants to have a large treble glazed plastic dome roof light over his stairs to improve the natural light to the stairs without loosing heat to the atmosphere. Is there a problem with this proposal?


  6. A large open plan office is to have a mineral fibre tile suspended ceiling with 1sq.m lighting diffuser panels at 2m centres. Is there a problem with this?


    7. Part B3, Fire Resistance

  7. A shop owner is to extend the shop with a single storey extension which is to be used as a store for non-perishable goods. To keep costs down it is proposed not to provide a ceiling to the roof. Because of the span the construction of the roof includes a steel beam half way down the extension spanning between the side walls of the extension with timber joists supporting the roof decking. Does the steel beam need fire casing?


  8. The owner of a 3-storey block of flats is intending to add another storey on top to make it 4-storey. It is proposed to use laminated timber portal frames as the main structural element. Because of this they want to make the timber visible inside. Do they need fire resistance to the portal frame? What would you advise to allow them to see the laminated timber?


  9. You visit a loft conversion of a house and you notice that the existing ceiling is 9.5mm thick plasterboard. Will this give adequate fire resistance to the new loft floor? You are told that the existing first floor also has 9.5mm thick plasterboard. Does the first floor ceiling need to be upgraded?

  10. You visit a loft conversion where the new stairs to the loft rooms rises over the existing stairs. This loft staircase is completely within the enclosing walls of the stairs. To save money it is proposed not to provide fire lining to the underside of the stairs. Is this OK? Would it make a difference if the stair had to partially go through one of a bedroom’s cupboards?


  11. You visit an industrial warehouse to see a new mezzanine floor and stairs which is to be used only for storage of goods. It is proposed not to fire protect the new columns beams and floor. Under what conditions could this be accepted?


  12. A House is being extended by the addition of a garage. A door is to lead from the garage into the house. Does the door have to be fire resisting? What should be done to ensure any leak of petrol does not enter the house?


  13. You are visiting an Office to inspect a new partition that is being erected to form an inner office room off an access room. A fire alarm system to alert persons in the inner room of a fire in the outer room is to be provided. You are informed on site that this new office is to be sub-let to another firm. Is this acceptable?


  14. You visit a new block of flats under construction. It is proposed to run a 100mm diameter uPVC drain stack up through the flats. The pipe is to run up through the kitchens on each floor. If the pipe is fire-stopped, as it passes through each floor, is that sufficient?


  15. The ground floor storey of an office block is being refurbished. The existing walls to the corridor, leading from the stairs to the entrance door from the street, have been demolished. The new construction is to be a false ceiling of mineral fibre tiles throughout and a new fire-resisting partition is to be erected to the corridor leading to the entrance door. If this partition stops at the underside of the false ceiling is this acceptable?


  16. The top floor of an office building with a pitched roof is being re-furbished. A false ceiling is being erected to separate the large number of small offices below. The builder tells you that it is proposed to leave undivided the 50m by 10m void between the pitched roof and the false ceiling? Is this a problem? During construction you go into the roof void and notice that the external cavity walls never had a cavity closer provided at the junction with the roof. Why is this a problem?


  17. You visit an office where there are stairs at each end of a corridor with several offices off the corridor. The corridor is sub-divided by a fire-resisting door as the distance between storey exits exceeds 12m. The corridor has a false ceiling and you notice that the fire-resisting door and screen stops at the underside of the suspended ceiling. Is this a problem?


  18. A block of flats has a semi-basement car park. The car park has ventilation on two opposing sides. It is proposed to block off the ventilation on one side to allow an extension to the block of flats. It is proposed to compensate for this by doubling the amount of ventilation on the remaining side. Is this acceptable?


  19. A semi-detached house has a 900mm passage between the neighbouring houses. It is proposed to add a new external door to this passage from a new extension. Does the door have to be fire resisting?


  20. A large 3-storey retail store is 25m long by 25m wide and has the same floor area on each storey. There is no basement storey. Is a fire-fighting shaft required? Is a fire-mains required? Is a fire-fighting lift required? How long is the frontage that needs to be accessible to the fire brigade?


  21. A new office building 20m long by 10m wide is being constructed with a 3.5m deep below ground level basement. What natural smoke venting is needed and where? If mechanical ventilation were proposed instead what air change rate would be required? Would it be necessary to have a sprinkler system to life safety standards?


  22. What is meant by the term materials of limited combustibility?


  23. What does the ‘S’ in an FD30S fire designation means for fire doors?


  24. It is proposed to provide an Electro-magnetic door holder to a fire door separating the stairs of a block of flats from a common corridor leading to the entrance doors of flats. Is this acceptable?


  25. What signs should be put on fire doors?


  26. It is proposed to add an office block in one end of an existing storage warehouse. How large a percentage of the overall area can the office be, before it is required to be separated from the warehouse by a compartment wall?


    27. Building Regulations

  27. Which buildings are the designated buildings under the Fire Precautions Act 1971(a)?


  28. A hotel has its workers sleeping in a building bought for the purpose two streets away from the hotel.

    29. Is this building a designated building?

  29. A building notice is received for the conversion of an industrial warehouse into a boxing ring with spectator facilities. Can the local authority require the submission of drawings? If so why? If not why not?


  30. A person intends to have their existing cavity walls to their house insulated by filling the cavity with insulation. Does this work require the submission of a building notice?


  31. A person intends to install their own gas fired hot water boiler. Does a building notice have to be issued?


  32. How many copies of drawings need to be submitted where a full plan application is made for a designated building? Which copies go where?


  33. A building notice was submitted 7 years ago for an extension but the local authority were not notified when the work was done 1 year later. Can they submit a Regularisation application to get a regularisation certificate for the extension?


  34. A new dwelling is created. When is the latest date when a calculated SAP rating is required to be given to the Local Authority?


  35. Does a completion certificate have to be issued when work is satisfactorily complete for:-


    1. Full Plan application, and
    2. Building Notice application?

    Building Act 1984

  36. Can the local authority dispense with the requirement for:-


    1. fire precautions, or
    2. Means of Escape?


  37. If a local authority fail to reject plans that show inadequate means of escape provisions before 5 weeks (and applicant has not agreed in writing to the 2 months extension) does the applicant have the right to build in accordance with these plans?


  38. Plans for an extension have been submitted which are OK except that the dpc is shown 100mm above the ground level rather than 150mm. Is it allowable to issue a plan approval with a condition that the dpc is at 150mm above ground level?


  39. If rejecting defective plans is it necessary to spell out the defects or regulations or section of the Building Act on account of which it has been rejected?


  40. If a proposed extension would block access to a sewer and no copy of agreement with Thames Water is enclosed, should we reject a Full Plan application and notify Thames Water?


  41. If the submitted plans does not show where the rainwater from the roof of an extension drains to, can we conditionally pass plans to submit drainage details in due course?


  42. If an extension is being done to a school and plans are submitted which shows that the extension has adequate means of escape but the existing school building has inadequate MOE, can we pass the plans? Do we have to consult the London Fire & Civil Defence Authority?


  43. A complaint is received that a church hall has inadequate Means of Escape in case of fire exits. If a survey shows that this is the case, can we serve a notice requiring improvements to be made?


  44. A complaint is received that a second floor flat exists over a shop that has inadequate means of escape. Can we require improvements by serving a notice? Do we need to consult the LFCDA before serving such a notice?


    45. Quality Procedures

  45. If a full plan is to be checked by you what records need to be made before you check the plan.


  46. When the full plan has been checked what records do you complete.


  47. At what stage should the Fire Authority be consulted? How is that done?


  48. If a Building Notice is received for an extension, who should check for the location of a sewer and how is that check recorded so others know the check has been done?


  49. If a builder runs a drain run for an extension straight out to a river at the back of the property, who needs to be informed?


    50. Safety Instructions

  50. A low-level connection is being made to a manhole that appears to be about 3.0m deep. You are asked by the builder to go down into the manhole using the step irons so that you can witness the drain test. What precautions should you insist on being taken before going down?


  51. How high should a ladder stick up above a landing space? If it cannot be tied at the top what other ways of securing the ladder can be used?


  52. What bracing would you expect to see provided to a scaffold you were thinking of going up?


  53. You are walking on a scaffold and you notice that the 25mm thick board projects over the supporting tube 100mm. Is this safe?


  54. You notice that the scaffold is being used to store heavy materials at a high level. The builder asks you to go up the scaffold, climb across the stored materials, and climb into the loft conversion through a window. What would you do?


  55. You are visiting a large site and walking across the site to see a foundation. In the way is a crane positioning materials in a trench. Would you take the short path under the crane jib or go the long way round?


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Updated on 2nd January 2001 by Robert Hunter-Jones MSc CEng MICE MIStructE FRICS

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