PartB is pleased to launch a jointly-published industry paper, pushing for the importance of transparency, communication and accountability in our industry.
Category:
Insights
Author:
Joe Taylor
PartB is pleased to launch a white paper, jointly written with The FPA and UL Solutions, discussing the importance of transparency, communication and accountability in our industry.
This collaboration is in response to the evolving demands of the UK’s built environment sector, aiming to deliver independent, impartial, and transparent fire safety testing at a time when regulatory scrutiny, innovation, and accountability are reshaping the construction landscape.
The UK construction sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the Building Safety Act, the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and a growing emphasis on compliance, traceability, and competence. With the introduction of the Building Safety Regulator’s Gateway programme and extended liability under the Defective Premises Act, stakeholders' across industry are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that every component and product used in construction meets rigorous fire safety standards.
Recognising the urgent need for reliable data and impartial testing, the FPA, UL Solutions, and PartB have joined forces to offer a robust solution.
The joint paper 'Testing Times: A solutions-focussed Collaboration for UK Fire Testing' was launched at the FIRE Conference on November 13th at the QEII in London where we were proud headline sponsors. This year's focus was 'future proofing our built environment' - a subject in which we are passionate.
Speaking on its launch, PartB Group Chief Technical Officer Jamie Davis said:
'We are proud to announce the publication of this white paper. It marks a significant progress in enhancing collaboration to ensure proper testing and compliance measures. By sharing these insights, we aim to promote safer building environments and strengthen our commitment to innovation and technical excellence in fire risk mitigation, in a proportionate and responsible manner.'
FPA chief executive, Dr Gavin Dunn said:
This new collaboration addresses a critical gap in the construction sector: the need to certify not just individual products, but the interfaces and combinations of systems that often present the greatest fire safety risks. Leveraging the FPA’s independent testing capabilities, UL Solutions’ certification expertise, and PartB’s engineering insight, offers a holistic approach to fire safety validation for the whole UK built environment sector.
As the built environment continues to innovate and adapt to new regulations, this collaboration ensures that fire safety remains at the forefront. By providing reliable, independent data, this approach supports a safer, greener, and higher-quality future for UK buildings.
Thank you to the FPA for inviting us to this collaborative project and especially Gavin Dunn for asking us to be part of this importance publication and share our thoughts from a fire engineering perspective. We hope this paper is well received but more importantly we hope it encourages future collaboration, discussion and instigates real change making our industry better and more accountable.
Click the link below to read the full paper:
