The importance of Building Compliance is to provide safety and to ensure your buildings provide protection to the people that work and use the working spaces within them. Building regulations and compliance are designed to protect people’s safety, health and welfare both in and around buildings.

What is Building Compliance?

In its simplest of terms, Building Compliance means to adhere to the standard, regulations and requirements of legislation that are set to serve a specific function intended to ultimately keep people safe.

Commercial Building Compliance

Commercial Building Compliance is ensuring that your premises falls in line with relevant legislation. This can include things such as:

  • Health and Safety
  • Fire Safety
  • Water Treatment
  • Heating and Ventilation
  • Plumbing
  • Accessibility Standards

Dependent on your business, industry and location can depend on what compliance, requirements and standards you have to comply with, but with regular and planned for maintenance you can ensure those compliance rules and standards are met. 

Examples of Compliance Checks and Surveys:

1) Building Conditions Survey

A Building Conditions Survey which can also be known as a building condition assessment or a property condition survey report is a visual inspection that looks at a buildings physical, mechanical and electrical condition.

Carried out by qualified professionals/surveyors, this survey seeks to identify any risks, issues, defects and provides an overview of a buildings current condition. Building condition surveys are particularly useful for:

  • Planned Maintenance which can then be budgeted for as well as any building and reinstatement repairs.
  • Identifying Risks within the survey which can pinpoint any failings in compliance and standards which can be rectified swiftly and scheduled as a part of a building’s maintenance package.
  • Providing a full Overview Report with recommendations and necessary works as well as the costs to put them into place and to action -- alongside any statutory compliance items or health and safety risks.

Building condition surveys are a non-intrusive, useful and somewhat essential tool for commercial buildings and educational institutions to assist in maintaining continual compliance, efficiency and in minimising associated risks that could affect a building/s or properties compliance.

2) Fire Door Survey

A Fire Door Survey is a legal requirement for businesses, covered by the Fire Safety Order (2005), to ensure any fire resisting doors and escape doors are installed correctly to standard and correctly maintained at all times.

Fire door surveys offer an evaluation of all fire doors within a building or buildings, identifying maintenance and a need for further inspection. They look at hinges, door sets, intumescent seals, self-closing devices, cold smoke seals, gaps between leaf and frame (including the threshold for suitability), glazing and vision panels as well as relevant markings.

Fire doors should be checked regularly (at least every 6 months) to check for wear and tear, condition, fitting and operation of hinges and hardware, which carries a higher risk in areas that have greater footfall. A fire door survey checks for all safety aspects and maintenance of standards, identifying appropriate action where required.

Current requirements stipulate fire doors must be able to demonstrate and withstand FD30 (30 minutes) or FD60 (60 minutes) of fire. Allowing enough time for occupants to escape in the unfortunate event of a fire.

You can view our latest blog on The Legal Requirements of Fire Doors here.

2) Electrical Fixed Wire Testing

Carried out by a qualified professional, Electrical Fixed Wire Testing inspects and tests a buildings electrical installations, checking they are safe and compliant with regulations.

Fixed wire testing within a building includes; visual inspection of any electrical installations, electrical tests of main panels, distribution boards, lights, sockets, and air conditioning.

Fixed wire testing is recommended between 1-5 years dependent on the type of building be it a school, college, university, office or hotel (usually every 5) or an agricultural/horticultural industrial unit (every 3), swimming pool or medical building (every year).

3) Emergency Lighting Testing

Emergency Lighting Testing ensures that emergency lights are operating systems at the legally required legislation and meet the appropriate standard. Monthly ‘flick tests’ demonstrate short functional checks to see if they are in full working order and also where any cleaning or maintenance is needed. A ‘full duration’ (lasting 3 hours) annual test should also be carried out in accordance to BS 5266-1 and any remedial work carried out as a result. 

Continued Buildings Compliance Packages

As well as planned and scheduled building compliance through planned maintenance and repairs we offer a suite of audits & surveys at TB Fit Out to ensure you remain and continue to be compliant within your buildings.

To assist you in managing your obligations surrounding building and property compliance and as a professional and expert qualified refurbishment business and fit out company, we are able to carry out health and safety checks according to relevant standards and where necessary carrying out the project works to gain compliance be it; fire safety, building structure and accessibility, electrical safety, health and safety, asbestos management, ventilation and air quality, waste management, energy performance, noise and vibration, signage and emergency exits and any environmental regulations.

Call us for more details and to kick start your continued compliance journey with us by dialling 01293 775509, emailing, sales@tbfitout.co.uk or by sending us a quick message here.