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Legislation in the United Kingdom relating to plastics, polymers and textiles
Author(s) -
Christian S. D.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
fire and materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-1018
pISSN - 0308-0501
DOI - 10.1002/fam.810040104
Subject(s) - legislation , enforcement , agency (philosophy) , government (linguistics) , business , control (management) , hazard , engineering , law , forensic engineering , political science , economics , management , sociology , social science , linguistics , philosophy , chemistry , organic chemistry
This paper deals with legislation enacted in the United Kingdom for the control of the hazard form fire in buildings of public resort such as hotels, boarding houses, factories, offices and shops as well as domestic dwellings. It gives background to why the various Acts were deemed necessary, why subsequent Regulations under the Acts were introduced, an impression on the effect their enforcement has had and an introduction into what is envisaged for the future. The legislation is not the product of any one Government department nor is it enforced by any single agency. Much of it is enforced by local authority fire brigade fire prevention departments and other sections by local authority Building Control Officers. It is the view of the author that more controls are required by way of Regulations and that certain of the Regulations at present in force are in need of revision. Included in the paper are tables of the latest statistics available (1976) together with other data, previously unpublished, which in the author's opinion justify his claim that more controls are needed. In the final part of the paper the author recommends most strongly that the gap in the present British Standard fire tests produced by the lack of an effective means of evaluating the smoke‐producing qualities and the toxicity of the produced by the lack of an effective means of evaluating the smoke‐producing qualities and the toxicity of the products of combustion of different materials should be urgently studied with an amended priority.