Blog 1 - What is ADB?
Approved Document B is most commonly known as ADB in the construction and fire safety sector.
It is basically a rulebook that applies to England only. It is a simplified guidebook that interprets the requirements of Building Regulations in a prescriptive way i.e. rigid and more onerous.
The function of Building Regs and ADB is to preserve lives rather than the building / structure.
This guidance document applies when people build or change buildings in England, they have to follow certain rules to make sure everyone stays safe within the building and around the building.
ADB is split into two volumes. Volume 1 covers dwellings including blocks of flats. Volume 2 covers all other building uses.
This document is about the nitty-gritty details relating to fire safety, like how to design escape routes, what materials to use so buildings don't turn into raging infernos, where to put the fire alarms, how to control smoke, how to ensure that the fire doesn’t spread building to building and how to design the access for firefighters. It's like a simple manual for fire safety professionals, architects, builders, and anyone working on buildings to make sure they're not playing with fire when it comes to safety.
ADB is split into 5 keys criteria:
Means of warning and escape
Internal fire spread due to linings
Internal fire spread due to structure
External fire spread
Access and facilities for the fire service
These 5 criteria can be found in any fire safety guidance document in the world. If you satisfy these 5 criteria, you are compliant with the Building Regulations and the building can be signed off.
The keen-eyed among you may have noticed that I said that ADB applies to England only. This is because Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have slightly different guidance documents as illustrated below. Oddly, England and Wales shared the same document until 2015 and for excepted energy buildings in Wales up to 2019 (definition - basically electrical energy buildings).
The guidance documents can be found by following these links:
England
ADB Vol 1 2022: Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 1: Dwellings, 2019 edition incorporating 2020 and 2022 amendments (link to doc)
ADB Vol 2 2022: Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, 2019 edition incorporating 2020 and 2022 amendments (link to doc)
Wales
ADB Vol 1 2020: Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 1: Dwellings, 2019 edition incorporating 2020 and 2022 amendments (link to doc)
ADB Vol 2 2020: Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, 2006 edition incorporating 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2020 amendments (link to doc)
Northern Ireland
Technical Booklet E: Fire Safety 2012 (link to doc)
Scotland
Building Standards Technical Handbook 2023: Domestic. Section 2 - Fire (link to doc)
Building Standards Technical Handbook 2023: Non-domestic. Section 2 - Fire (link to doc)