Ambar Kelly director to promote fire safety awareness

As an advocate of fire safety across the built environment, particularly in riser shafts in high-risk buildings (HRBs), Ambar Kelly’s Director Nick Atkinson is delighted to be shining a spotlight on the significant impacts of the phasing out of BS476 Parts 6 & 7 at the upcoming Building Services Forum.

Taking place on Thursday 22^nd May between 9am and 5pm, the Building Services Forum will be held at the Building Centre in London. With an extensive programme of speakers, including Nick, the event will focus on reducing carbon, improving building performance, and navigating safety for the built environment across the domestic, commercial, and public sectors.

During his talk, Nick will be looking at the future of high-risk building safety and examining the substantial impacts of the recent phasing out of BS476 Parts 6 & 7 on Gateways Two and Three – particularly in relation to the use of combustible materials in high-risk buildings.

He’ll also be discussing the importance of specifying and installing non-combustible riser flooring solutions, such as Ambar Kelly’s RiserSafe®, that not only offer comprehensive fire and fall prevention but also make M&E installation quick, safe, and simple.

In addition to the various technical briefings and highly-anticipated panel debate, the event will offer plenty of networking opportunities – with a whole host of industry leaders, key decision-makers, and like-minded industry professionals likely to be in attendance.

Looking ahead to the event, Nick emphasised the importance of educating the industry and raising awareness about the fire risks associated with HRBs, particularly in riser shafts. He also underscored the need to shift the prevailing culture from treating riser risk management as a contractor’s responsibility to recognising it as a permanent design obligation for principal designers under CDM 2015. This approach prioritises prevention through design rather than reactive measures, advocating for the use of riser flooring systems to mitigate safety risks, drive efficiency, improve buildability, and fix costs.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be speaking at the upcoming Building Services Forum. There are many misconceptions surrounding fire safety in riser shafts and one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is lack of awareness.

“Having the chance to underline the important role riser shafts play in the prevention of fire and smoke spread and the necessity of specifying and installing non-combustible materials is absolutely crucial. After all, prevention is better than cure.

“Besides my talk, the programme features a myriad of other fascinating discussions and technical briefings on a range of industry-critical topics, so it’s set to be an incredibly worthwhile event for anyone in attendance. I’m thoroughly looking forward to it.”

Tickets for the event are still available. Costing £75 per person, entry includes breakfast and coffee at registration, a full day of CPD technical briefings, a table-top exhibition, full buffet lunch, a lively panel debate, afternoon tea, and a host of networking opportunities.