The heat is on. Chris Auger explains developments that led BAFE to develop its SP206 scheme, designed to promote safety in commercial kitchens

Transcription

1 The heat is on Chris Auger explains developments that led BAFE to develop its SP206 scheme, designed to promote safety in commercial kitchens M EDIA COVERAGE of financial problems in 2018 among a number of restaurant chains has focused on the causes behind the so called casual dining crunch, yet demand among other culinary providers for retail space is still reportedly healthy.this suggests that the significant increase in the number of operational kitchens over the past few years is likely to continue a factor that s already provided cause for concern among insurers, worried about the scale and nature of kitchen fire incidents at commercial establishments across the UK. Analysts believe that the market remains sizeable and a lucrative target for other ambitious restaurant brands now coming through. So, it seems that demand for premises will remain strong just one factor prompting BAFE s involvement in developing a kitchen fire protection certification scheme to reflect the growing concern from within the insurance market about the manifest risks related to this long term market development. Focused attention With commercial real estate values particularly in the South East typically priced in millions of pounds, the growing prevalence of fires in kitchens 40 has therefore quickly become an area of focus for insurers and one of the major reasons behind BAFE s move to develop its SP206 scheme. The value of kitchen fire losses reflected in insurance claims has been rising significantly too, but for some establishments, all of this may simply be too late since the impact of a serious kitchen fire can effectively destroy the business through literal, as well as longer term reputational, damage. It therefore became clear that the market needed a third party certification audit process in which the demonstration of competence by providers of kitchen fire suppression/extinguishing systems is a key criterion for the benefit of end users.these end user customers will gain from the SP206 scheme in a variety of other ways, not least by showing their due diligence to protect property. They also obtain an assurance that the contractor they have used has been properly assessed for quality and competence, and that legislatively compliant and appropriate fire protection measures have been introduced for the benefit of the kitchen s users, staff, visitors and patrons. So just how important a problem was this to merit the SP206 scheme s introduction in the first place? Reviewing the Fire Protection Association (FPA)/RISCAuthority and other insurance data that s available makes it clear that food and drink DECEMB E R /JA N UA RY ww w. f r m j o u r n a l. c o m The heat is on WR JW WR TIDIED FOR FINAL READ.indd 40 28/11/ :22:46

2 Current affairs related fires are statistically the third most likely cause of large fires, also accounting for nearly 10% of all large loss fires. Meanwhile, fires involving restaurants and cafes represent some 42% of all fires within the food and drink sector put together no small matter. So in this context, it is clearly important to maintain good management of the cooking equipment and extraction ducting systems involved, where fires can always occur. Timing issues An important factor is the timing of the fires themselves, given the almost doubled occurrence between midnight and 6am for all food and drink establishments (at 43%), versus the earlier period of 6pm to midnight (24%). Other restaurants and cafes are also more susceptible to fires breaking out between midnight and 6am (35%), versus the evening trade time of 6pm to midnight (22%). Out on the ground, commonalities related to these timing issues were also causing significant concern including the important positioning of kitchens at ground or basement level within buildings, together with their related ductwork for extraction purposes. In practice, this exposes occupants of buildings, such as hotels, to risks from fires spreading upwards at especially vulnerable times of night. The reality is that with kitchen staff vacating premises at the end of their evening shift, dormant fire conditions can take hold unobserved/unchecked. The widespread use of frying and grilling appliances, woks, tilting frying pans, cookers, ranges, griddle plates and industrial venting systems, combined with flammable materials such as cooking oil, leaves this equipment prone to the build up of fat and grease deposits within extraction canopy systems, filters and ducting pipework. These are often routed externally via roofing areas and other vulnerable sections of property. A common problem is posed by the often inaccessible, grease laden sections of extract ducting, fans and other filtration plant, particularly in view of their structural importance within many buildings. For example, an accidental fire originating within a Chinese takeaway in Newport, South Wales, spread upwards through a two storey mixed commercial and residential premises, leading to a partial roof collapse in April Other similar incident examples include a 2017 kitchen fire in a student accommodation block in central Cambridge, which started in an extractor fan and subsequently spread into the roof void. Additionally, in September 2017, a fire in a Bedford restaurant s deep fat fryer spread to ducting running through the building and the roof of this multi storey property, as well as affecting flats situated above the restaurant. Meanwhile, in January 2018, a fire that started in the cooking extraction system of a Basingstoke shopping centre restaurant led to firefighters being called out at 6.25am; while a February 2018 blaze at a fish and chip shop in Wootton, Isle of Wight, was blamed on a fire that subsequently spread to the extraction system installed at the premises. DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY

3 Current affairs Cleaning regimes To combat such daily risks, effective kitchen management regimes involving regularised cleansing and other operational diligence procedures designed to enhance safety should be backed up by efficiently maintained cleaning records and relevant documentation in relation to the cleaning methodology adopted/implemented, as a first step towards demonstrating fire risk assessment procedures that are legally required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 [FSO]. In this risk assessment process, areas that may have been missed or under considered such as the cook line, cooking appliances and paths heading away from the canopy above the cook line may present a first risk and primary source of fire. The extract system, for example, may pose a hidden fire load through deposits that have built up along the full length of ductwork. Yet equipment friendly extinguishing agents in appropriately specified and correctly installed and maintained fire suppression systems will enable premises to deal with a fire successfully and clean up quickly afterwards, thereby preventing or reducing the risk of injury, property damage and minimising business interruption, including important customer confidence and word of mouth implications for future brand reputation on social media etc. New monitoring systems are also available which remotely measure grease build up in ducts and report back these measurements, effectively acting as a sleeping policeman and further reducing any risk of fire developing. User confidence Given the potential to harness all of these positive factors and help to effectively minimise both the number and extent of commercial kitchen fires, BAFE has acted to ensure that the capabilities of suppression systems can be used in tandem with these cleaning procedures by end users. This third party certification audit process for providers of kitchen fire protection systems and associated fire detection places the demonstration of competence as a key criterion. Customers will be able to select the right contractor, who understands how the equipment works and has a proven track record of its use. It is important that end users recognise their legislative responsibilities under the FSO, to ensure that competent engineers and maintenance companies install and maintain kitchen fire protection systems. That work must not be handled by companies whose claimed competence is unproven. For example, a maintenance provider working on other fire protection equipment may erroneously claim to be capable of handling these systems too. Fire protection products and related services should be fit for purpose, and properly installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer s instructions or a relevant standard. Third party certification schemes evidence that the chosen provider has been 42 DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY

4 Current affairs independently assessed to ensure that they can deliver that specific service competently. Specifying third party certification demonstrates that the end user has taken reasonably practicable steps in sourcing a competent provider to meet their obligations. Effective fire protection systems have been available for a number of years, but what s been missing is a recognised scheme covering their design, installation, commissioning, recharge and maintenance. Indeed, end users sometimes blame equipment suppliers for operational problems that occur, when the fault may lie instead with their maintenance provider. One practical example of this would be if suppression equipment nozzles are moved for practical working or convenience reasons for example, to suit the kitchen chefs, or during cleaning procedures and then not replaced properly. Using the SP206 scheme, each type of system will be effectively restored to its original state and its optimal operational performance thereby maintained. Essentially, the kitchen fire protection system will be reset to its original parameters to ensure operational conformity, an analogy being a vehicle MOT. For end users, the scheme also provides reassurances akin to an insurance policy. Insurers do not approve of the use of insufficient or incorrect systems to protect kitchens against fire and they are equally concerned if an appropriate system has been specified but not installed or maintained properly. The SP206 scheme helps ensure that neither problem occurs, protecting not just the kitchen itself but the whole building, including those working and living within it. Competence criteria Another important and innovative element of the scheme centres on uniformity of training, as part of service provider competence requirements. All those involved equipment designers, system installers and maintenance providers will have the same scope of training to ensure a similar level of competency. In practice, this will mean that technicians and engineers can make changes to fire protection systems which they know will not affect the equipment s operational performance. SP206 certificated service providers will be expected to have undergone training by manufacturers in systems they wish to include on their scope of certification, with demonstrable evidence of their training to these manufacturers requirements and their authorisation. SP206 does not cover cleaning activities, but this important area is still detailed within the scheme document certificated providers are required to remind end user customers of the need to maintain a clean environment. Additionally, on site surveillance assessments will be required at a minimum of 12 months, depending on risk, and at fewer intervals if it is judged appropriate to ensure an appropriate cleaning regime. Meanwhile, kitchen fire protection system installers must also appreciate the importance of linking the kitchen system w w w. f r m j o u r n a l. c o m D E C E M B E R 2018/ JA N UARY 2019 The heat is on WR JW WR TIDIED FOR FINAL READ.indd /11/ :22:55

5 Current affairs with the house fire alarm covering the rest of a premises, such as the restaurant, lounges and bedrooms at a hotel. Where a BAFE certificate of compliance is issued for a kitchen fire protection system that is interfaced to other building systems in this way (including fuel shut off valves, kitchen extraction systems etc), the certificate cannot be issued without evidence of it integrating with the entire system to ensure operational effectiveness. As a practical example, maintenance providers will be expected to identify the critical component parts within fire protections systems and be able to colour code items such as cylinders, nozzles and fusible links.this allows these parts to be identified according to their age and point within the system s maintenance cycle during maintenance procedures. For instance, if a part is meant to be colour coded blue, and yet is red, this will indicate that it was not changed at the last inspection visit thereby helping ensure the overall system s integrity and operational conformance, and reducing the potential for unreliability etc. Standards integration SP206 incorporates relevant standards, regulations and guides, including UL 300 (for safety fire testing of fire extinguishing systems for the protection of commercial cooking equipment the standard to which installation criteria are used as a guide), LPS 1223 (the standard to which installation criteria are used as a guide), and EN (covering equipment for commercial kitchens, components for ventilation in commercial 44 kitchens, and the installation and use of fired fire suppression systems). It is important to note that the scheme does not provide third party system equipment approval, but the working group that developed SP206 did involve suppression equipment manufacturers such as representatives from Ansul, Amerex Fire International and Nobel Fire Systems. They were joined by the certification bodies NSI and BSI, individual industry experts, trade bodies, and insurers, including group chairman Dr Jim Glockling, who is director of RISCAuthority and technical director of the FPA. The creation of SP206 started in summer 2016 with initial enquiries into demand, especially regarding the nature and scale of the scheme. This continued with a development process from January 2017, which produced a first draft document for comment by interested parties and related revisions early in 2018, prior to its official launch as a finalised certification scheme. Competency among kitchen fire protection systems providers is at the top of the agenda for the SP206 scheme. That crucial concept, promoted by the wider effects of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, means that such serious incidents will hopefully have a positive and long term legacy by promulgating higher standards of safety and protection for those operating commercial kitchens, as well as their customers and others using the buildings in which these culinary premises operate Chris Auger is scheme manager at BAFE. For more information, view page 5 DECEMB E R /JA N UA RY ww w. f r m j o u r n a l. c o m The heat is on WR JW WR TIDIED FOR FINAL READ.indd 44 28/11/ :22:57