Legal status of ADB 2000 and British Standards.

[Rocha]

As ADB 2000 and British Standards are deemed as guidance documents, how far from a legal point of view must they be adhered to.

For example a fire risk assessment for an existing building identified a corridor providing access to two alternative escape routes that is not sub divided by fire doors.  This was not picked up during the design stage and the fire certificate issued for the building does not show a requirement, however it is recomended in ADB 2000 and BS5588 Part 11.

Where does the legal requirement to comply with ADB 2000 and British Standards lie???

[wee brian]

A british standard is, in itself just a book. However they are regarded as being a statement of current good practice. As such a court may ask somebody why they chose not to follow the BS.

British Standards are also called up in contracts - thats really what they are for, a standard spec so you dont have to keep writing the whole lot down each time.

Approved documents are a different thing altogether. They have legal status as set out in Section 7 of the 1984 Building Act. This says something like. Compliance with and AD is evidence tending to show compliance with the regulations. Failure to follow an AD is evidence tending to show failure to comply.

This essentially puts the onus of proof on the applicant.

The New RRO guides will not have such lofty status they are more like BSs in that they are just books.


But... Approved Documents only apply to Building Work controlled under the building regs. If the building is an existing one then it is not, directly, relevant. It is a useful starting point in identifying any difficenices in the design of a building but the building regs would not have any control.

[jokar]

If you are conducting a risk assessment then you should be utilising that nice government document "fire safety an employers guide".  Within that, corridors longer then 30 metres, the same figure appears in anumber of other guidance publications and in the new Guidance Documents for RR(FS), which incidentally will be out next week, have to be sub divided by fire or smoke doors.  If the corridor is less than that figure or just over that figure why bother.

If the whole thing was missed at design stage then the FRS could not apply anything other than that as they would have had an opportunity at consultation stage to do something about it.  The Statutory Bar will apply and the only way to do something now, if necessary is under the WFPL.