Fire safety regulation is evolving rapidly, reshaping how products are designed, specified, and installed across the built environment.

For designers and specifiers, keeping pace with these changes is vital to ensure compliance, protect end-users, and safeguard reputations. 

Why Regulations Are Changing

Recent legislative and standards updates, such as the Building Safety Act, have placed greater emphasis on compliance, accountability, and transparency in construction. In fire safety specifically, two key codes of practice guide today’s design and specification work:

• BS 9999: Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings
  Provides a structured approach to achieving acceptable fire safety levels in all non-residential buildings, with detailed recommendations on ventilation, escape routes, and fire damper specification.
• BS 9991: Fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings
  Offers specific guidance for residential environments, including apartment blocks, student accommodation, and care homes, ensuring safe evacuation strategies and protection of escape routes.

Together, these standards — alongside Approved Document B and European testing regimes such as BS EN 1366 — re-focus  expectations around performance, installation, and long-term reliability of fire safety products.

As critical components in fire and smoke control systems, dampers are directly impacted by these evolving requirements. Designers and specifiers must ensure that:

• The Selected Dampers are tested and certified for their specific applications, not just generic scenarios.

• Products comply with BS EN standards (e.g., EN 1366-2, EN 1366-10) and align with BS 9999/BS 9991 recommendations.

• Installation and maintenance follow manufacturer I.O.M instructions and best-practice standards.

Failure to meet these obligations can compromise both compliance and safety, placing projects at significant risk.

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At BSB Engineering, compliance is built into every stage of our product development. Our range of dampers is:

• Tested rigorously to BS EN standards, with supporting documentation to simplify specification & BIM models for design detailing
• Aligned with the principles of BS 9999 and BS 9991, giving confidence to designers that systems meet the latest guidance for both commercial and residential settings.
• Designed for flexibility, with products such as the FSD-C and FSD-TD/AF Motorised Fire Dampers offering universal installation solutions that make compliant installations easier to achieve.

Backed by ongoing quality assurance, with our ISO 9001 certification recently renewed by BRE — demonstrating our continuous commitment to improving processes, product quality, and customer satisfaction.

We understand that navigating these evolving standards can be complex. That’s why we provide:

• Technical expertise to help interpret regulations and codes of practice.
• CPD and training sessions to support best practice in specification and installation.
• Trusted products backed by certification, testing, and decades of real-world performance.
• BIM Models for incorporation into design detail drawings

Regulatory changes such as the Building Safety Act, BS 9999, and BS 9991 are reshaping the way fire safety is delivered. For designers, specifiers and installers, this is both a challenge and an opportunity: to create safer, more resilient buildings with confidence in their chosen solutions.

At BSB Engineering, our products, testing, and technical support are here to help you stay ahead of compliance while delivering on safety and performance.

Get in touch with our team today to explore how BSB can support your next project.

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