What is PAS 9980:2022?

Since the tragic fire of Grenfell Tower in 2017, an urgency for fire safety reform has resulted in major developments in the law.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 was passed in April 2021, while revised assessments such as PAS 79:2020 aim to improve the clarity of guidance regarding fire risks and responsibilities among fire safety professionals.

Since January 2022, there’s been a new code of practice to pay attention to – PAS 9980. This code sets out to assess the risk of fire via external walls and cladding on existing blocks of flats.

As always, complying with fire safety methods is in large part a question of understanding the standards required (and reasons behind them). This in-depth guide explains exactly what PAS 9980 is, who it applies to, and why it’s important.

What is PAS 9980 about?

Published by The British Standards Institution (BSI) in January 2022, PAS 9980 is a guide to reducing the risk of fire spreading via external walls and cladding systems. This applies to existing blocks of flats – multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings. It also includes student and sheltered accommodation, as well as certain specialised housing and buildings converted into flats.

To assess fire risk to occupants, PAS 9980 sets out a five-step process. Not only does this process aim to identify overall risk factors of a building, it also provides mitigation steps that might improve the risk rating. The steps are as follows:

• Step 1: Confirm that a full fire risk assessment of external walls (FRAEW) is required.
• Step 2: Gather all necessary information to complete the FRAEW.
• Step 3: Identify and group factors that are significant in determining the risk rating.
• Step 4: Consider each group of risk factors to determine their potential contribution to the overall risk.
• Step 5: Review the risk factor analysis against the benchmark success criteria to determine an outcome.

What, exactly, are the ‘risk factors’?

Primarily, the Code of Practice has been developed to support upcoming changes to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (brought about by the Fire Safety Act 2021), which will confirm that fire risk in external cladding systems is considered to arise in the presence of combustible materials – as we saw in Grenfell Tower. With material consideration at the core, fire risk factors include the likelihood of undue speed of fire spread over external walls of the building, the likely extent of secondary fires on other floor levels, the likely consequences of evacuation before the onset of extreme conditions and the likelihood of fire and rescue services intervening before all of the above occur. Higher blocks of flats also pose a higher risk.

Who does PAS 9980 apply to?

Drawing on advice from experts across the fire and building control industries, PAS 9980 sets out fire risk reduction steps for competent professionals (not lay people) making decisions that lead to appraisal outcomes. Typically, these are fire engineers and building professionals involved in different aspects of external wall construction – from architects to contractors, facility managers and façade engineers.

Will all buildings require PAS 9980 appraisal?

The new code does not imply that all buildings will need statutory fire risk assessments. In these cases, a competent fire risk assessor may confirm there is no risk to life from fire spread, granted no combustible materials have been added to external walls over time. They will then typically address compliance of these external walls with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as part of the routine fire risk assessment process. Of the buildings that do require an appraisal, not all will require intrusive inspection.

What to expect from PAS 9980

While PAS 9980: 2022 states that it is a “code of practice” taking the form of “recommendations and guidance,” it does not contain ‘off the peg’ solutions for specific wall types and materials, given the wide range of these that exist, and professional guidance is advised alongside the use of the publication.

That said, the importance of this new standard cannot be overlooked. PAS 9980 is intended to be a step towards a more clear and consistent approach to identifying and evaluating fire risk – one which gives both building owners and homeowners a system to assess the level of safety, while identifying steps that could be taken to better safeguard residents without exposing them to undue financial costs.

Those with roles and responsibilities surrounding fire safety compliance (such as landlords, project managers, fire risk assessors and local authorities) should get fully informed on all fire risk assessment changes – including PAS 9980. It’s available to download from BSI: PAS 9980.

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