Fire safety has not always been the focus of the building industry but it has definitely taken the spotlight since the Grenfell Tower fire in the UK. Though the tragedy claimed 72 lives, the inquiry raised many necessary alarm bells in the building safety industry that were previously ignored. As the inquiry’s document leak revealed, the cladding used on the building failed fire safety tests in 2004, yet it was still used on the building despite warnings. While we can say that should not have happened, it did and new legislation will safeguard our future.
The awareness of fire safety is not only good for public safety in the building industry but also has a positive impact on the economy. This new focus on fire safety at every stage of the building cycle, from design to maintenance, means that fire protection materials are in much higher demand since they are being integrated into plans that they weren’t previously. According to the global growth potential for passive fire protection materials market report by Global Market Insights (GMI), it is estimated that there will be a 6.6% growth rate from 2021 to 2027, attributed to the rising awareness of fire safety. This is also alongside technological advancements, leading to an increase in research and development into fire safety materials across the world.
Passive fire protection materials are used across construction, oil and gas, transportation and general industries such as mining, chemical and power; and with the increase in the global population, there will be a natural increase in demand in the residential and commercial infrastructure projects, and it will continue to increase with the upward curve of the population growth.
As our technology improves and evolves, we are able to produce more advanced fire protection materials that are more stable and resilient at higher temperatures, developed in line with the ever-increasing safety requirements for industries like aerospace and automotive manufacturing. This has a positive ripple effect, giving commercial and residential buildings more sophisticated fire protection, further increasing the protection of the public.
The report by Global Market Insights attributes this rapid growth increase to the strong growth in the automotive and aerospace industries, rising fire safety standards due to more stringent regulations, and a growing global construction sector due to the overall population growth. Another contributing factor to the projected global growth is due to passive fire protection materials showing exceptional capabilities to slow down heat spread and smoke, improving the evacuation time and delaying overall fire damage as much as possible, when used in conjunction with active fire protection systems.
Onetrace is built by fire protection operatives for fire protection, so we have a deep understanding of what is needed at every level of the fire protection industry in terms of traceability and transparency. As the building safety and fire protection industry becomes more heavily regulated, Onetrace fire protection software is on a mission to support fire protection installers across the construction industry with the ever-increasing requirements for traceability and transparency through the golden thread of information.
With pin dropping, drawing mark-up and photos all working directly in the Onetrace fire protection app, fire-stopping installation operatives can easily fulfil all the documentation required by 3rd party accreditation bodies, ensuring that all works completed are in line with accreditation standards, without using any third party applications or sending photos to different devices or people to keep project documentation correctly updated.
Ready to see what all the fuss is about? Take a look and see how it all works. All you need to do is simply get in touch or request a demo. If you’re not ready to commit, that’s okay - you can try Onetrace completely free for 7 days with zero obligation or commitment. No fuss, no hassle.