College Corridor Displays

[CPA1]

I am after some advice for putting up A4/A3 sheets of paper on the corridor walls around the college I work. We have at present big glass display boards on corridors that lock, but staff seem to keep putting other items up without running it by me. The Art Department is the main pain at the moment as it is exams time and they have an Art exhibition coming up. I have suggested that anything paper related is laminated to decrease the spread of fire if it was to happen. Is this ok to do?. So far I keep taking down what staff are putting up then getting moaned at for doing so. But within my role as the Estates Manager I  have to consider potential fire hazards so just doing my job in my eyes. I cant seem to find anything related anywhere hence why I am throwing it out there for some advice/Guidance.

Thanks in advance

Chris

[Messyshaw]

BB100 provides Govt guidance entitled 'Design For Fire Safety in Schools'.

I haven't worked on any School projects for a while, so I assume it is still valid. Even though your building is a college, I believe it would be reasonable to apply the provision in BB100 as the risks are similar and indeed, most colleges now have 'statutory' sixth formers - i.e. those still in compulsory education. 

When it comes to notice boards etc, it states:

The schools’ circulation routes will almost certainly be important for relaying information to the pupils by means of notice boards, or used as a display area for eg, pupils’ work. Notice boards should not be more than 3m wide, and there should be a gap between notice boards on the same wall of at least 1m. Notice boards in a protected corridor should be fitted with a cover, preferably top hung so that the cover cannot be left ‘jutting-out’ into the escape route.

Its all about controlling the fire loading in the corridor by separating combustible notice boards or covering them in protected routes

The term 'Protected Corridor' refers to where a corridor makes up part of the 'protected' fire escape route. When measuring travel distances, there are restrictions of course and there are two considerations:

A) Measuring to a 'place of ultimate' safety (outside the building) or

B) Where it is not possible to meet A), a staircase or corridor can be made a protected route and measurements made to that 'Place of relative safety'. once evacuees are in a protected route, that must stay in one until they reach a place of ultimate safety

A protected route therefore must be separated from other areas by fire resisting materials and fire doors, must not contain ignition sources (i.e. vending machines, photocopiers etc), must have combustible items kept to a minimum (this is where the restrictions on covered noticeboards apply). 

I hope this all makes sense

[StephenKP]

Messy it is still valid and in new schools if there has to be a noticeboard in a proteced corridor route then it has to be covered.  The board and enclosure needs to be class 0 i.e. non combustable with  max class 1 surface spread rating.

[Messyshaw]

Thanks Stephen. Good to hear from you mate

[CPA1]

Thanks Messy and StephenKP appreciate it