Fire safety standards: what’s coming next for construction?

Industry feedback has highlighted a lack of clarity around standards development. I recognise this, and we’re creating opportunities for more people to engage – understanding how to become a standards-maker, or contributing experience and diverse perspectives. A young site engineer can bring just as much insight as a senior director. Standards must reflect the real-world challenges and demographics of our sector.

FSH/0 will be publishing an annual report to showcase progress across our 26 subcommittees, giving industry valuable insight into which standards are in development and (crucially) signposting to interested parties how they can become involved.

WM: How do you modernise fire safety standards in this current era of fast-moving technology?

AS: We need to respond to today’s urgent risks – like lithium-ion battery fires – while also anticipating future challenges. Thermal runaway, for example, is a critical issue we’re grappling with now. These fires are extremely difficult to extinguish and even harder to design around. But they’re just one example of how emerging technologies can introduce new, complex risks into the built environment.

To address this, we’re establishing a new subcommittee within FSH/0 focused specifically on new and emerging risks and digital innovation. Its purpose will be to ‘horizon scan’: identify technologies and trends, such as AI, automation, and synthetic data, and analyse their potential implications for fire safety. The subcommittee will feed insight and evidence into the standards development process so that we can begin shaping new guidance early, rather than reacting after problems arise.

The pace of technological change means fire safety must evolve just as quickly.

WM: What are the key priorities for FSH/0 in the next 18 months, in terms of new and updated standards?

AS: The response to the revision of BS 9991 last November underlined just how much scrutiny there is of fire safety standards and reinforced the need for greater transparency around how standards are developed.

Looking ahead, there are several important standards in the pipeline that the tier 1 community and wider construction sector should be aware of.

The recently published BS 9792 covers fire risk assessment in housing and replaces PAS 79-2 as a full British Standard. It’s the result of extensive and focused work by the technical committee to elevate the previous PAS into a British Standard format. For now, PAS 79-1 remains in place, so we’ll have a BS and PAS running in parallel within the same series, although PAS 79-1 may be converted to a full BS in the coming years.

Another major development is the revision of PAS 9980, which provides guidance for appraising the fire risk of external wall systems. This standard has just completed its public consultation. The committee is now in the ‘comment resolution’ phase. We expect the revised PAS 9980 to be published in spring 2026, reflecting feedback and lessons learned from its use to date.

WM: What other fire safety developments can tier 1 contractors expect?

AS: There has been longstanding concern about the inconsistent way fire safety is managed during the construction phase, particularly among tier 1 contractors, despite robust guidance such as the Joint Code of Practice and HSG 168. These documents offer valuable site-level risk management advice, but they don’t address the strategic, organisational-level fire safety planning needed before work begins.

That’s the gap PAS 9970 aims to fill. It’s been developed following extensive stakeholder engagement and designed to introduce a strategic framework for construction-phase fire safety. The goal is to ensure principal contractors establish clear processes, responsibilities, and policies before setting foot on site – and maintain them throughout the project.

The PAS will consist of two parts. Part 1 will outline the strategic principles: what contractors should have in place – procedures, documentation, monitoring mechanisms – before mobilisation. It draws on process safety principles, moving the industry from a reactive to a proactive approach to fire risk.

PAS 9970 is intended to complement existing guidance like the Joint Code of Practice and HSG 168, not replace them. Used together, they will offer a more holistic and consistent model for fire safety across major projects. We’re aiming for publication in 2026.

WM: What about guidance for fire safety engineers?

AS: There’s long been a gap in guidance on how to produce a robust fire strategy. While widely used, fire strategies aren’t currently mandated in legislation – unlike fire risk assessments. However, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended making fire strategies a statutory requirement.

Previously, PAS 911 attempted to define ‘what good looks like’ in a fire strategy, but it lacked industry recognition and was not widely used. BSI has withdrawn PAS 911, although some time before the Inquiry made its comments, and is replacing it with a full British Standard: BS 9994.

BS 9994 will form part of the BS 999X series, providing clear, high-level guidance for fire engineers. It’s being designed to be globally applicable, regulation-agnostic and based on best practice. This will allow clients and contractors to request that fire strategies align with BS 9994, ensuring greater consistency and quality across the built environment.

WM: Will you be contextualising these standards with use cases? Are there any exemplar case studies you can mention?

AS: I’d very much like to. In the absence of empirical evidence, good guidance must be grounded in real-world best practice. BSI is engaging with organisations already delivering fire safety effectively. I would like to publish case studies from these early adopters alongside new British Standards.

We’re already seeing positive signs. Mace, for example, has been particularly proactive on fire safety under the leadership of Mark Reynolds. One notable initiative is on the HS2 Euston project, a case study we hope to share publicly in due course.

Berkeley Group is another standout. An organisation that asks the right questions at a senior level and applies standards in a way that supports the development of an evidence-based path to compliance. That cultural maturity is something we want to showcase more widely.

WM: How are you encouraging the industry to engage with these new standards developments?

AS: I strongly encourage anyone with relevant expertise or interest to engage with the public consultations on fire safety standards. These consultations are a key opportunity for the industry to shape the guidance it ultimately uses. We’re not currently seeking more direct involvement on specific committees, but we are building a broader community of potential contributors. Through the FSH/0 committee structure, individuals can register their interest, signal their areas of expertise, and be considered for future involvement.

WM: Finally, congratulations on your MBE. How did your day at the Palace go and what comments did the future king make about building safety?

AS: Thank you. My day at Windsor Castle was unforgettable and what stood out was my conversation with HRH Prince of Wales. It was humbling to hear him speak so knowledgeably and eloquently about the Grenfell Tower tragedy – he spoke for several minutes with sincerity and detail that really struck me.

What resonated most was his parting message: “maintain the momentum”. That phrase encapsulates everything we are trying to do with fire safety standards. It was a powerful reminder that no matter how much progress we’ve made, the job is far from finished.

When I was an adviser at the Ministry of Housing, I was once asked how long the building safety programme should last. My immediate response was: “Indefinitely.” My position is unchanged, building safety must be an ongoing commitment.