Fire Rated Partitions

We find one of the most confusing elements for clients when approaching us regarding industrial partitions, is whether or not they need fire rated partitions, and if they do, to what level. At The Office Design Company we work closely with local authorities to ensure all our managers are conversant with all relevant building legislation regarding the required level of fire proofing needed for our partitions in any given situation.

While it may sound an expensive exercise, overall cost increases are not necessarily that big. Our staff will explain what areas of your project can be constructed without the need for fire protected partitions. What partitions will require fire proofing and why. And to what level the fire resistance needs to reach. For instance, office partition fire rating is invariably higher than a pure storage room due to high volumes of staff working in office areas. Likewise main corridors and emergency escape routes will generally require partitions fire rated to a higher level than low traffic or no traffic areas.

Areas of high risk in workshop or factory such as welding or paint shops and chemical storage areas will require a higher fire rating to contain any fire outbreak, giving employees enough time to evacuate the area. With the different types of buildings, bricks and mortar, steel and cladding, and the numerous applications for partitioning, fire protection ratings tend to fall into the following categories:

• 30/00 (30 minutes of material integrity / 00 minutes insulation)
• 30/30 (30 minutes of material integrity / 30 minutes of insulation)
• 60/30 (60 minutes of material integrity / 30 minutes of insulation)
• 60/60 (60 minutes of material integrity / 60 minutes of insulation

If you’re unsure of your needs when it comes to fire rated partitions, get in touch with us on 0115 740 1101 and we’ll be happy to advise you.