Fire Safety Requirements for Installation of Claddings to Buildings

HTS Pang Tong Teck

New Development & Products Office

Fire Research Unit

Fire Safety & Shelter Dept

Singapore Civil Defence Force1

Cladding Fire Incidents

2

Cladding Fire@Toh Guan Road [May 2017]

3

Cladding Fire@Grenfell Tower UK [Jun 2017]

4

Surface Spread of Flame

5

Aluminium Composite Panel

6

Non-Combustible Panel vs Combustible Panel

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Fire Code Requirements for Cladding [Clause 3.5.4]

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Acceptable Fire Test Standards for Cladding Materials

35. Composite Panel (Cladding to External Wall )

(12) (16)

1. Applicable to the corematerial of composite construction:

Scheme 2 (No label issued)

1. Annual surveillance test

NA

BS 476 Pt 4 or BS 476 Pt 11 or BS 476 Pt 7 or [BS 476 Pt 6 & BS 476 Pt 7] or EN 13501-1 or

2. NFPA 2852. Annual surveillance test (finger printing).

NA

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Plastic wall or ceiling material/finishesFigure 2G: Plastic wall or ceiling material/finishes installed internally/externally

Plastic wall finish

Plastic wall finish (external)

Non-combustible structural element

Plastic ceiling finish

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Table 2G: Fire safety requirements for plastic wall or ceiling material/finishes

S/N Material construction Assessment Exemption / Remarks

1 Non-combustible material.

Allowed No further fire test required.

2 Material thickness not exceeding 1mm

Allowed No further fire test required.

3 Use in exit staircase / exit passageways

Not allowed To protect key escape routes.

4 Material thickness exceeding 1mm

Allowed with conditions

Allowed if pass test categories (D), (E) and (F) in Table 2B, unless specifically exempted for external building applications. 11

Acceptable Fire Test Standards for Roof Covering Materials

• Item 34 of PLS - Roof Covering Material

• BS 476 Pt 4 or BS 476 Pt 11 or BS 476 Pt 7 or [BS 476 Pt 6 & BS 476 Pt 7] or EN 13501-1 or ASTM E108

• Scheme 2 (No label issued)

• Annual surveillance test

34. Roof Covering

Material (15) (16)

1. BS 476 Pt 4 or BS 476 Pt 11 or BS 476

Pt 7 or BS 476 Pt 6 & BS 476 Pt 7 or EN

13501-1 or ASTM E108

Scheme 2

(No label

issued)

Annual surveillance test NA

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Table 2I: Fire safety requirements for plastic roof coveringS/N Material construction Assessment Exemption / Remarks

1 Non-combustible material. Allowed No further fire test required.

2 Material thickness not exceeding 1mm

Allowed No further fire test required.

3 Use in exit staircase / exit passageways

Not allowed To protect key escape routes.

4 Material thickness exceeding 1mm

Allowed with conditions

Allowed if pass test category (J) in Table2C, as well as test category (H) in Table2C if exposed on underside.

Exempted from test categories (H) and(J) if the requirements specified forskylights in Clause 3.15.5(b) of the FireCode are complied with.

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Table 2A: Fire tests and acceptance criteria for plastic floor material/finishes

Test category Fire risk Applicable fire test standards Acceptance criteria

A Toxicity emission BS 6853 Annex B R < 1.0

BS EN 45545-2 CIT < 0.75

EN ISO 5659-2 CIT < 0.75

B Smoke density EN 13501-1 EN 14041 EN ISO 9239-1

Smoke classification to be s1 rating.

ASTM E662 NFPA 258

Smoke density, Ds,max < 450

EN ISO 5659-2 Smoke density, Ds,max < 150

C Ease of ignition / Fire spread

EN 13501-1 EN 14041 EN ISO 9239-1

Sprinklered premises Sleeping occupancy: Class Cfl or better Non-sleeping occupancy: Class Dfl or better

Unsprinklered premises Sleeping occupancy: Class Bfl or better Non-sleeping occupancy: Class Cfl or better

ASTM E648 NFPA 253

Critical Radiant Flux (CRF) > 0.45 W/cm2

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Table 2B: Fire tests and acceptance criteria for plastic wall/ceiling material/finishes

Test category Fire risk Applicable fire test standards Acceptance criteria

D Toxicity emission

BS 6853 Annex B R < 1.0 Test categories (D) & (E) are not required for external wall finishes

BS EN 45545-2 CIT < 0.75

EN ISO 5659-2 CIT < 0.75

E Smoke density

EN 13501-1 Smoke classification to be of s1rating

Flaming droplet classification tobe d0 rating

EN ISO 5659-2 VOF4 < 300 min

F Fire spread EN 13501-1 To comply with existing Fire Code requirements.o Internal wall finishes: Cl 3.13 of Fire Codeo External wall finishes: Cl 3.5 of Fire Code BS 476

NFPA 285 To pass criteria in NFPA 285 15

Table 2C: Fire tests and acceptance criteria for plastic roof materialTest category Fire risk Applicable fire test

standardsAcceptance criteria

G Toxicity emission

Not critical. Generally exposed to external.

H Smoke density

EN 13501-1 Generally not critical if exposed toexternal.

If exposed as ceiling on the underside,then must meet requirements for ceiling(achieve s1-d0 rating).

J Fire spread

EN 13501-5 Class BROOF

BS 476-3 Class AA/AB/AC

BS 476-6/7 Class 1

ASTM E108 Class A16

Product Listing Scheme (PLS)

• Implemented since 1998.

• A 3rd party certification scheme.

• Scheme ensures regulated fire safety products conform to:• Safety• Reliability• Test performance standards

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Product Listing Scheme (PLS)

• If products/materials listed under PLS , • Approval not required from SCDF for building

construction when proposed uses are in compliance with Fire Code requirements

• If products/materials not listed under PLS,• QP is still responsible for proposed products/materials

used in building construction and • QP shall ensure that they comply with Fire Code

requirement and Code of Practice18

Accredited Certification Bodies in Singapore

•TUV SUD PSB Pte Ltd

•Singapore Test Services Pte Ltd

•Setsco Services Pte Ltd

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Test Reports Validity

• For regulated fire safety products classified as Discrete System•5 years• Eg fire doors, fire extinguishers

• For regulated fire safety products classified as Non-Discrete System•10 years• Eg compartment walls/floors, claddings

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Scheme 5 Surveillance Monitoring

• Factory Inspection• Surveillance of production process• Surveillance of quality system [management audit]•Annually

• Site Inspection•Discrete system• Inspection of market samples• Triggered by label request based on quantity

•Non Discrete system• Inspection of market samples• Triggered by DOC request based on quantity 21

Scheme 5 Surveillance Monitoring

• Surveillance Testing•Annual testing for majority of products•3 yearly testing for •metal/glass doors, • lift landing doors

• Fire Rated systems•Materials testing [Scheme 2]

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Scheme 2 Surveillance Monitoring

•Ongoing comformity

•Surveillance testing of samples from the market

• Inspection of samples from the market • eg factory, site

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PROVISION OF MINIMUM INFORMATION BY CERTIFICATION BODIES ON CERTIFIED FIRE SAFETY PRODUCTS/MATERIALS UNDER PLS

• Applicant ( includes company’s name, address, contact nos)

• Brand

• Model

• Certificate No

• Scheme of COC

• COC Expiry Date

• Description

• Country of Origin

• Product Details (includes insulation, integrity, density/weight, etc)

• Test Standard

• Test Report Reference 24

PROVISION OF MINIMUM INFORMATION BY CERTIFICATION BODIES ON PRODUCTS/MATERIALS WHICH FAILED THE CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Applicant ( includes company’s name, address, contact nos)

• Brand

• Model

• Description

• Country of Origin

• Product Details (includes insulation, integrity, density/weight, etc)

• Test Standard

• Test Report Reference

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END

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