There is a consultation out at the moment on whether or not Approved Document B (under the Building Regulations) should be amended to make sprinklers compulsory in care homes. At this stage the proposal is not suggesting that this will have retrospective effect and, if passed, would only apply to new care homes or building projects/refurbishments (where the Building Regulations would be triggered).
However, the consultation is seeking views from those providers who would be affected by the changes including whether this would be an appropriate course of action, whether there should be a minimum threshold in relation to the size of the care home (number of beds) and possible relaxations under Approved document B if sprinklers were introduced?
A link to the consultation can be found below:
There is concern over whether approving this measure would be seen as a stepping stone to retrospective fitting with all of the associated cost and disruption that could bring. On the face of it, the research behind the consultation does not show a significant benefit to life safety, but may have some benefits including reduced insurance premiums and increased reassurance when faced with ongoing staffing shortages.
The consultation covers a number of different elements and so for ease, the relevant questions to respond to are: 1-12 and 28.
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