A smoke control maintenance inspection can produce one of three outcomes: pass, pass with advisories, or fail. Each outcome carries different obligations for the building representative. Understanding these outcomes - and knowing exactly what to do when you receive each one - is essential for anyone responsible for a building with a smoke ventilation system.
The SCA Guidance on Maintenance of Smoke Control Equipment includes a failure flowchart that maps out the required actions for each scenario. This article explains that flowchart in plain terms.
The Three Outcomes
System Pass
The system has been tested against its performance criteria and functions as intended. A maintenance certificate is issued confirming the pass. No further action is required until the next scheduled inspection.
A pass means the competent maintainer has verified cause-and-effect sequences, measured airflow rates, tested backup power, and confirmed that all components operate within specification. It is the outcome every building representative should expect from a well-maintained smoke control system.
System Pass with Advisories
The system is functional and meets its immediate performance requirements, but issues have been identified that may affect performance within the next 12 months if not addressed.
An advisory notice is issued alongside the maintenance certificate. The building representative must address the advisories before the next inspection. Common advisory items include:
- Battery labels that are no longer legible (preventing age verification)
- Minor wear on actuator components that does not yet affect operation
- Cause-and-effect sequences that function but have documentation discrepancies
- Secondary power that operates but shows reduced capacity
- Modifications that have been made to the system without updating the records
Advisories are not optional recommendations. They are documented observations by a competent maintainer that, if left unaddressed, are likely to result in a fail at the next inspection. Building representatives should treat advisories as a defined work programme with a deadline.
System Fail
The system has failed to achieve the required performance criteria in any single smoke zone. This means the system cannot fulfil its functional requirements and the building may not be adequately protected in a fire event.
A fail is serious. The required response is immediate and involves several parallel actions.
What to Do When Your System Fails
Step 1: Receive the Fail Notice
The competent maintainer should issue a fail notice immediately - usually before leaving site. This is not a document that arrives weeks later in a report. The building representative needs to know the system has failed on the day of the inspection.
The fail notice should specify exactly which zones have failed, what the failure mode is, and what remedial action is required.
Step 2: Notify the Local Fire and Rescue Service
For high-rise residential buildings (at least 18 metres in height or with at least 7 storeys, containing two or more sets of domestic premises, per FSER 2022 reg. 3), the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (Regulation 7) require that any fault in firefighters’ lifts or other key fire-fighting equipment that cannot be rectified within 24 hours must be reported to the local fire and rescue service electronically.
This is a statutory obligation, not a discretionary step. The notification must include details of the fault, the building address, and the measures being taken to manage the risk while the system is non-operational.
Step 3: Review the Fire Risk Assessment
The building representative must immediately review the building’s fire risk assessment in light of the system failure. A smoke ventilation system that does not work changes the risk profile of the building. The risk assessment must be updated to reflect the current state of the system.
Step 4: Implement Interim Safety Measures
Until the system is repaired and retested, the building representative must take appropriate action to manage the increased risk. Depending on the severity of the failure and the building type, this may include:
- A waking watch - trained personnel patrolling the building to provide early fire detection and evacuation assistance
- Revised evacuation procedures - updating the evacuation strategy to account for the reduced smoke control capability
- Temporary fire safety measures - additional fire extinguishers, or temporary mechanical ventilation in agreement with the fire risk assessor (propping smoke vents open is not a generally accepted interim measure, as it can defeat the smoke containment strategy)
- Resident or occupant notification - informing building users of the situation and any changes to evacuation procedures
The cost of a waking watch alone can run to thousands of pounds per week. This is one of the strongest arguments for proactive maintenance - preventing a fail outcome is substantially less expensive than managing the consequences of one.
Step 5: Commission Remedial Work
The remedial work identified in the fail notice should be commissioned immediately. The building representative should ensure the work is carried out by a competent maintainer with access to certified replacement parts.
Once the remedials are complete, the system must be retested by the competent maintainer to confirm it now passes. A new maintenance certificate should be issued. If the building is subject to Regulation 7 reporting, the fire and rescue service must be notified that the fault has been rectified.
How to Prevent a Fail
System failures rarely emerge from nowhere. In almost every case, the conditions that cause a fail were developing for months before the inspection that identified them. The tiered inspection regime set out in the SCA guidance exists specifically to catch these developing problems early.
The BS 7346-8 cadence is: weekly visual checks catch power and communication faults and stuck indicators; quarterly full actuation tests catch seized actuators and stuck dampers; the annual competent-person comprehensive service catches airflow degradation, cable deterioration, and component wear. Some FM providers add monthly functional checks and six-monthly intermediate service visits as best practice, which catch developing problems earlier still.
A building that follows this full regime is unlikely to receive a fail at the annual inspection, because the faults that cause failures will have been identified and resolved at earlier stages.
The most common cause of a system fail is not a sudden component failure - it is the accumulation of small problems that were not detected because regular inspections were not being carried out, or were being carried out superficially.
What a Good Maintenance Certificate Looks Like
A properly issued maintenance certificate should include:
- The client name and site address
- The extent of the system covered by the certificate
- Whether this is the 6-monthly or annual inspection
- Details of equipment and zones tested
- A clear pass, pass with advisories, or fail outcome
- Details of any defects or advisory items
- Confirmation that work carried out and faults identified have been recorded in the system logbook
- The name, signature, position, and company of the certifying person
The SCA has designed a model maintenance certificate template that is included in the guidance document. Building representatives should compare their current maintenance certificates against this template - if critical fields are missing, the certificate may not provide the compliance evidence you think it does.
Summary
A system fail is not the end - it is a trigger for a defined sequence of actions that protect the building’s occupants while the system is repaired. But the cost, disruption, and risk involved in managing a fail make prevention the far better strategy.
If you are concerned about the condition of your smoke ventilation system, or if you have received a fail or advisory outcome and need guidance on next steps, contact Vent Trade.
