• Fire-stopping and fire-proofing are fundamental aspects of the safety of buildings and must be treated with the importance that they deserve due to the potential implications for the safety of building users and the risk to property as a result of defects in their incorporation into the building.
• There has been significant evidence of failures of fire-stopping in PPP projects in England and questions have been raised as a result of the initial surveys of fire-stopping undertaken across the 17 PPP1 projects in Edinburgh.
• It is recommended that, in relation to these aspects, consideration be given to the introduction of independent in-depth inspection and certification by a suitably qualified person or specialist company, in accordance with the provisions made within the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, and that this certification be required to be provided to Building Standards as evidence of fully compliant installation, prior to the approval of the Completion Certification by Building Standards.