BCSA News and Insights
Updated NSSS includes new intumescent paint section
11/09/2020
Category: General
The British Constructional Steelwork Association (BSCA) has published the 7th edition of the National Structural Steelwork Specification for buildings (NSSS).
The latest edition has been extensively updated and represents the biggest change since its introduction in 1989. One of the main changes is the inclusion of a new section on intumescent paint systems.
Following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire and the call from Dame Judith Hackitt for industry not to wait for legislation, the BCSA said it and the wider constructional steelwork community decided to take ownership of the specification, application and inspection of intumescent paint systems.
Section 10 of the NSSS now includes comprehensive information on intumescent paint systems and in order to improve quality, it encourages the paint systems to be applied in the workshop rather than on-site.
Other significant changes include a mandatory requirement for all steelwork contractors to put in place a third party certified welding quality management system to BS EN ISO 3834.
The main body of the NSSS is limited to Execution Class 2, but this version also contains an Annex of the requirements for Execution Class 3 for static structures and an Annex giving general guidance on Execution Class 3 for buildings subject to fatigue, such as crane supporting structures.
To allow steelwork contractors time to put in place the necessary third party systems to comply with the Specification it has been decided that the NSSS will not come in to force until 1st January 2021.
Share
Previous article
03/08/2020
President's Column July/August 2020
Responsible Welding Co-ordinators (RWC) were introduced as part of CE marking to make one person accountable for the welding processes from the pre-contract stage through to final production and any work done on site. Many initially thought that CE marking was just an additional burden but, in most cases, it has improved knowledge of the fabrication process, increasing the quality and reducing the amount of remedial work. The concept of getting it right first time is vitally important and the...
Next article
16/09/2020
President's Column September 2020
John Blackwell, Rowecord Engineering's long-standing charismatic former MD, used to say "steelwork contracting is all about managing risk". John's words are as true today as they always have been, probably more so. All too often steelwork contractors are being forced into taking on the temporary stability of the steelwork during erection with no allowance being made at tender stage for this crucial part of the building's life. This is a recipe for a 'race to the bottom' and in my experience...