HROUS Commission a survey that establishes the intended compartment lines, follows them through accessible walls, floors and voids, uses agreed opening-up where necessary, and produces mapped evidence for repairs and verification.[1][2][4][6]
Define the premises type, occupancy, configuration and evacuation strategy before setting the scope because these factors affect compartment arrangements and required fire resistance.[4][6]
Trace complete compartment lines
Begin with a review of the fire strategy, building plans, as-built drawings, operation and maintenance information, previous surveys, fire risk assessment, construction details and remedial records.[4][6] If the intended strategy is unknown, the FPA offers strategy definition; it also offers separately quoted floor-plan scanning where suitable plans are unavailable.[2]
Require the inspection to follow compartment lines through walls, floors, basements, roof spaces, ceiling and floor voids, risers and shafts rather than treating individual doors as the whole system.[1][2][4][6] The scope should state whether it includes doors, element junctions, penetration seals, cavity barriers, dampers, structural protection and glazing.[1][4][6] Fire-door inspection may be separate from the main compartmentation survey, so its inclusion must be explicit.[2]
Visual, semi-intrusive or intrusive?
The label does not establish the access level. A survey described as “comprehensive” may still be non-destructive, while semi-intrusive and intrusive scopes vary.[2][4][6]
Visual inspection
A visual survey can identify accessible damage, deficient fire stopping, unprotected cable trays, wall breaches, gaps above suspended ceilings and damaged doors.[4] The FPA’s comprehensive survey is non-destructive but visually covers roof voids, basements, floors, walls, ceiling and floor voids, risers and shafts where present.[2]
It does not establish the condition of every concealed area. Reassuring visual findings should not be treated as a guarantee of fire resistance, compliance or safety.[4]
Semi-intrusive inspection
SOCOTEC describes its typical survey as semi-intrusive, reviewing construction, materials, fire-stopping methods, doors, dampers, shutters and curtains without damaging construction or decoration.[6] The appointment should still define which voids, panels and enclosures are accessible.
Intrusive inspection
An agreed intrusive scope may include ceiling-void access, opening risers or access panels, wall probes, inspection behind penetrations, removal of wall, façade, ceiling or floor coverings, or small holes for a borescope.[4][6]
Pennington’s intrusive option examines concealed measures above plasterboard ceilings, within enclosures and around door frames, but excludes external-wall inspections.[1] Name each area and opening method in the appointment rather than relying on the word “intrusive”.
Compare named survey options
Pennington Choices
- Access level: Offers full, sample, bespoke and intrusive options. Its intrusive survey covers concealed measures above plasterboard ceilings, within enclosures and around door frames.[1]
- Defect and repair evidence: The full survey includes updated CAD drawings showing firewall locations, risk ratings, collected data and a draft remedial schedule with outlined costs.[1]
- Independence and verification: Pennington says it does not undertake remedial work arising from its survey and offers post-installation surveys after third-party repairs.[1]
Fire Protection Association
- Access level: Offers a comprehensive non-destructive survey, with fire-door inspection available separately or combined.[2]
- Defect and repair evidence: Provides photographs, an action plan, RAG priorities and annotated drawings linking uniquely numbered defects to a digital report.[2]
- Independence and verification: Suggested repair details can be included for each breach, hole and imperfection.[2]
SOCOTEC
- Access level: Describes its typical survey as semi-intrusive, with less-common opening-up or borescope investigation where structural deficiencies are suspected.[6]
- Defect and repair evidence: Its typical survey reviews construction, materials, fire-stopping methods, doors, dampers, shutters and curtains.[6]
- Independence and verification: The cited page does not state its arrangements for remedial work or post-repair checks.[6]
GRJ Surveying
- Access level: Advertises third-party-accredited consultants for commercial and residential buildings of all sizes, including inspection of fire doors, structural steelwork and wider passive protection.[5]
- Defect and repair evidence: Its service extends from surveying to resulting remedial work.[5]
- Independence and verification: GRJ says it can undertake both the survey and the resulting remedial work.[5]
For portfolio work, Pennington’s sample survey requires at least 10 buildings and provides sampled findings, recommendations and building risk ratings. Its bespoke survey can target issues such as soil stacks, risers or roof spaces.[1]
Set access, asbestos and reinstatement responsibilities
Treat opening-up as a controlled part of the appointment, not blanket permission to disturb the building. The cited service pages do not allocate responsibility for permissions, keys, permits, occupier liaison, service isolation, asbestos information, safe access or reinstatement.
- Access: Identify who arranges permissions, keys, permits and access equipment. Record occupied areas, operational restrictions, permitted working hours and locations that must remain closed.
- Asbestos information: State who supplies and reviews the relevant building-specific information before opening-up, and what happens where a proposed location cannot be disturbed.
- Opening-up: Record who authorises each opening and who provides temporary protection, making good, decoration and final reinstatement.
- Change control: Require written approval before additional opening-up, access equipment or return visits are commissioned.
Any access failure should become a recorded survey exception requiring a decision, not an undocumented omission.
Require mapped defects and access exceptions
The report should state its scope and method, inspected locations, access constraints, limitations, photographs, recommended actions, risk priorities, further-investigation needs and implications for the life-safety strategy.[4]
Require each defect to have a unique reference linking its drawing position, photograph, description, priority and proposed repair. The FPA publishes this form of drawing-linked identification, including unique issue IDs, RAG ratings and corresponding digital records.[2] Its outputs include annotated AutoCAD and PDF drawings, while Pennington’s full survey includes updated CAD drawings identifying firewall locations.[1][2]
Also require an inaccessible-area register recording:
- the intended compartment line and exact uninspected location;
- why access failed;
- the access or opening method likely to be needed; and
- the required follow-up investigation.
No cited provider page explicitly promises this register, although Anstey Horne says reports should identify limitations and access constraints.[4] The final report should include a prioritised remediation schedule and identify locations where sampled findings indicate that further intrusive investigation may be needed.[1][4]
Separate findings, repairs and verification
Anstey Horne describes the normal sequence as survey, prioritisation, remediation, post-remedial verification, fire-risk-assessment update and retention of findings, certificates and inspection records.[4]
Organisational separation is a procurement choice. Pennington excludes remedial work from its survey service and offers post-installation surveys of third-party repairs.[1] GRJ offers both surveying and resulting remedial work.[5] Where one organisation performs both, appoint a named person or organisation to accept the completed work and agree the acceptance criteria before repairs begin.
Verification should link each repair to the original defect reference, record the location and evidence checked, and list outstanding or inaccessible work. The appointment should distinguish between:
- a desktop review of photographs and installation records;
- an on-site inspection; and
- agreed opening-up of completed work.
Retain the resulting evidence with the survey and remedial records.[4]
What to confirm with each provider
The cited pages do not state fees, VAT treatment, turnaround times, quotation validity, payment terms, contract length, cancellation rights or rescheduling conditions. Obtain project-specific quotations against the same written scope.
- Price for attendance, drawings, access equipment, opening-up, specialist support, making good, revised reports and post-repair verification.
- Assumptions about building size, included areas, working hours, repeat visits, aborted access and report formats.
- Exclusions, change-control rates, VAT treatment, programme and quotation validity.
- Payment terms, cancellation rights and rescheduling charges.
- Who arranges access, supplies asbestos information and pays for inaccessible or aborted inspections.
- Whether repairs are offered by the survey provider and who verifies the completed work.
Choose the investigation level
Use a visual-only scope where concealed construction is an accepted and recorded limitation. Agree opening-up where concealed integrity is central to the concern or initial findings suggest wider defects.[4]
Decide whether the requirement is a building-specific condition assessment or representative portfolio information. Pennington presents full surveys for large, complex buildings, while its sampling option covers portfolios of at least 10 buildings.[1]
The final brief should define the intended compartment lines, inspection access, opening-up locations, exclusions, responsibilities, report outputs, approach to remediation independence, verification method and commercial terms.[1][4]
References
- Compartmentation Surveys and Audits | Pennington Choices (pennington.org.uk)
- Compartmentation Surveys | Fire Protection Association (thefpa.co.uk)
- Fire Compartmentation Survey: A Complete Guide – Anstey Horne (ansteyhorne.co.uk)
- Your Full Guide to Fire Compartmentation Surveys | GRJ Surveying (grjsurveying.com)
- Fire Compartmentation Surveys | Compartmentation Integrity Services (socotec.co.uk)
