Fire Damper Connections: What Building Managers Need to Know About Critical Safety Updates

As BESA members committed to maintaining the highest standards of regulatory compliance, we at System Hygienics want to share important guidance about fire damper installations that could significantly affect your building's safety and compliance status. Recent industry focus has revealed widespread issues that require immediate attention from duty holders across all sectors.

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Fire Damper Connections: What Building Managers Need to Know About Critical Safety Updates

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Understanding Fire Dampers and Their Critical Role

Fire dampers are essential safety components installed within ventilation systems at key points where ductwork passes through fire-separating elements such as compartment walls, floors, and cavity barriers. These devices automatically close when exposed to heat, preventing fire and smoke from spreading through ventilation systems and maintaining the integrity of fire compartments within your building.

The effectiveness of fire dampers depends not only on the dampers themselves but crucially on how they're connected to the ductwork. This is where recent industry campaigns, spearheaded by BESA, have highlighted a significant and widespread issue affecting thousands of buildings across the UK.

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The Self-Drilling Screw Problem: More Serious Than You Might Think

For years, many installations have used self-drilling screws to connect ductwork to fire dampers. While this might seem like a minor technical detail, recent guidance emphasises that this practice poses three significant risks that could compromise your building's fire safety:

1. Personal Safety Hazard

Self-drilling screws create sharp edges that pose a serious injury risk to maintenance personnel. Under health and safety legislation, duty holders must eliminate or control such hazards.

2. Operational Failure Risk

Perhaps most critically, self-drilling screws can penetrate the damper mechanism, physically obstructing the damper blades. This means that in a fire situation, the damper may fail to close correctly, allowing fire and smoke to spread through your ventilation system. Any such obstruction constitutes an immediate failure requiring urgent remedial action.

3. Structural Integrity Concerns

Self-drilling screws have high melting points, preventing the intended "break-away" function during a fire. Proper installations use low-melting-point fixings that allow ductwork to safely disconnect when exposed to fire conditions. Without this feature, expanding or collapsing ductwork could pull the entire fire damper away from the fire-separating element, creating a breach in your fire compartmentation.

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Current Regulatory Requirements and Your Responsibilities

As a duty holder under various fire safety regulations, including:

• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (England and Wales)

• The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006

• The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010

• The Building Safety Act 2022

• The Building Regulations 2010 (England and Wales)

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You are legally obligated to ensure your fire safety systems, including fire dampers, are correctly installed, maintained, and functional. The recent focus on this issue means that ignorance is no longer a defence – you must take action to identify and address any non-compliant installations.

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What You Need to Do: A Clear Action Plan

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For New Installations and Modifications

All new works and modifications to existing systems must strictly comply with BESA's DW145 guidance. This means using only approved break-away joints with:

• Aluminium rivets (melting point <660°C)

• Plastic bolts or rivets (melting point <170°C)

• Flexible connections (melting point <80°C) that allow for movement

No exceptions can be made – self-drilling screws must not be used under any circumstances in new installations.

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For Existing Buildings: A Systematic Approach

If your building has legacy fire damper installations, you need to take the following steps:

1. Immediate Inspection Programme: Arrange for a comprehensive inspection of all fire dampers to identify the presence of self-drilling screws or other non-compliant connections. This should be documented thoroughly as part of your fire safety management system.

2. Remedial Action Where Practical: Where reasonably practicable, all self-drilling screws should be removed and replaced with compliant fixings. This work should be prioritised based on risk, with high-risk areas addressed first.

3. Risk Assessment for Complex Cases: Physical constraints may make replacement impractical in some situations. In these cases, you must commission a detailed risk assessment from a competent person. This assessment should consider:

o Fire risk and likely direction of fire spread

o Type of ductwork (fire-resistant or standard)

o Building construction and support structures

o Presence of fire suppression systems

o Environmental factors (contamination risks)

o Required control measures for residual risks

4. Comprehensive Documentation All findings, decisions, and actions must be documented appropriately. This forms part of your "golden thread" of building safety information as required under the Building Safety Act. Failed dampers must be reported immediately, while those with self-drilling screws that still operate should be classified as "At Risk – requires further action."

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The Bigger Picture: Beyond Self-Drilling Screws

It's important to understand that where self-drilling screws are found, there are often other installation defects present. A comprehensive approach to fire damper compliance should include:

• Verification of correct damper specification for the application

• Checking installation methods against the manufacturer's tested details

• Ensuring proper access for testing and maintenance

• Confirming adequate support and fixing to the fire-separating element

• Reviewing penetration seals and fire-stopping

• Updating asset registers and maintenance schedules

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How System Hygienics Can Support Your Compliance Journey

Our Comprehensive Fire Damper Services Include:

• Full site surveys to identify all fire dampers and assess their condition

• Detailed inspections to identify non-compliant connections and other defects

• Professional risk assessments where remedial work faces constraints

• Complete remedial works including replacement of non-compliant fixings

• Ongoing maintenance programmes to ensure continued compliance

• Comprehensive documentation including digital records for Building Safety Act compliance

• Technical guidance from our BESA-qualified engineers

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Why Choose System Hygienics?

As proud BESA members, we stay at the forefront of industry standards and best practices. Our nationwide coverage means we can support multi-site organisations, while our local presence ensures rapid response times. Maintaining compliance is an ongoing challenge, and our project management teams work closely with you to minimise disruption while ensuring all work is completed on time and to the highest standards.

Don't Wait to Act: The Time for Compliance is Now

Fire damper integrity is not just about regulatory compliance – it's about protecting lives and property. With increased scrutiny from enforcing authorities and heightened awareness following recent incidents, building owners and managers who fail to address known issues face significant legal and financial risks.

The message from BESA and the wider industry is clear: the time for half-measures has passed. Whether you're responsible for a hospital, office building, residential complex, or industrial facility, ensuring your fire dampers meet current standards is a critical priority.

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Ready to ensure your fire dampers are compliant? Contact us today to arrange a consultation with our expert team.

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