FIS initiative: Product, Process, People

FIS is proposing a three-step process to ensure there is evidence that performance products and systems are installed to meet the specification and installed in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions. The initiative is based around Product, Process, People (PPP) and began in response to the February 2017 report into the collapse of a wall at Oxgangs Primary School, Edinburgh.

Joe Cilia, FIS technical director, said: “The initiative has crosssector support from contractors, manufacturers and distributors. Projects need clear evidence that the product has been installed correctly. As was the case at Oxgangs Primary School, this may not be apparent by simply looking at the completed works.”

Dame Judith Hackitt’s interim report on the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, commissioned by government following the Grenfell Tower fire to make recommendations on the future regulatory system, identified that there is a lack of evidence of performance compliance, that enforcement and sanctions processes are too weak, that what is being designed is not what is being built and that there is a lack of robust change control and recording of this information. The report suggested that there should be transparent evidence that products are properly tested and certified and that products are clearly marked, even after installation.

Mr Cilia continued: “The FIS PPP initiative is a vehicle to record what was installed. Therefore, the product section will include a copy of the specification, a copy of the test report (fire, sound, robustness), a copy of the delivery note, and images of the product being installed and completed.

“The process aspect is about recording this information and passing it on to the client. And the people element records the installation teams with evidence of training recorded on their CSCS cards, eventually leading to a demonstrable competency scheme for all trades.

“This initiative is not reliant on any one piece of software and therefore can be taken up using existing project recording processes currently in place. It demonstrates that the industry has the ability to provide a solution rather than have one imposed on it.”