BSI to publish new fire safety standard for residential buildings

Revised standards generally include changes made because of new evidence or information relating to a topic.

This update will supersede BS 9991:2015, which is nine years old. The change is being introduced by the British Standards Institution (BSI), which is the national standards body for the UK.

The organisation explained that the revisions were underway ahead of the publication of the final report from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in September 2024, which made a series of recommendations on building safety.

These included that fire safety strategies should be required for all higher-risk buildings, mandatory accreditation for fire-risk assessors and a review of the definition of higher-risk buildings.

Scott Steedman, director-general of standards at the BSI, said: “The Grenfell tragedy and the subsequent inquiry and report have brought the issue of building safety into focus for the whole sector and beyond. It is critical that we ensure all standards reflect the latest evidence.

“The updated BS 9991 guides the design, installation and maintenance of fire safety systems in residential buildings, ensuring that effective escape routes and fire safety measures are in place to protect occupants and enhance overall safety.

“This new edition has been fully revised, taking into account extensive changes within industry and the increased focus on robust fire safety measures. The BSI remains extremely grateful to the panel of experts who worked on this and their dedication over the last few years.”

The BSI said the revised standard would affect contractors involved in all stages of residential construction and refurbishment projects.

In previous updates, the BSI published a code of practice to help assess the risk of firespread from external walls and cladding on multi-storey blocks of flats.