Ministry of Construction request review of fire prevention

Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - After receiving numerous opinions on the amendment of fire safety regulations, the Ministry of Construction recently requested a review and revision of the national technical standards for fire safety in buildings and construction projects.

Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi has issued an urgent decision to conduct a comprehensive review of all fire safety issues in construction activities.

The Institute of Construction Science and Technology of the Ministry of Construction is to coordinate with the Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue and Emergency Department of the Ministry of Public Security, as well as other relevant units.

A review of the content of national technical standards for fire safety in buildings and construction projects is being conducted to identify the specific obstacles and causes.

Based on the review, proposals will be made to amend the contents of the technical standard for fire safety, named QCVN 06:2022, aiming to complete the system of standards and technical regulations for fire prevention and firefighting in buildings and construction projects.

The Minister of Construction has also assigned the task of compiling and revising the QCVN 06:2022, ensuring the standards based on science and compliance with relevant laws and regulations in Vietnam’s practical conditions.

According to the representative of the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, the decision of the Minister of Construction is based on the proposal of this unit.

According to the decision, the specialised agencies of the Ministry of Construction will rely on feedback documents to review and approve fire prevention and firefighting aspects for project evaluation, design evaluation, as well as inspection and acceptance of construction works from 2013 to the present.

Recently, the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, together with a working delegation from the Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue and Emergency Department, visited production facilities to gather information.

Most of the existing obstacles are found in projects constructed before 2021. Some construction works were built several decades ago, and over time, the buildings and workshops have been expanded. However, the standards apply only to newly constructed projects.

For such old construction works, there are confusions whether the new standards should be applied to the entire project or to related sections during repairs or renovations.

According to QCVN 06:2022, this standard is only applicable within the scope of renovation and repair and specifically in cases where the renovation or repair increases the fire risk of the facility. The standard does not apply beyond the scope of renovation and repair.

Regarding the regulations on the use of fire-resistant building materials, including fire-resistant paint, the representative of the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment also mentioned that there were opinions stating that QCVN 06:2022 requires fire-resistant paint types that are not available in Vietnam.

However, in reality, QCVN 06:2022 and its previous versions only provide fire safety requirements for building materials without specifying the use of specific materials.

If the components or structures do not meet the fire resistance limits corresponding to the fire rating of the building or construction project, additional fire protection measures must be implemented.

The fire protection solutions recommended by experts include using fire-resistance paint, tile cladding, concrete, using ordinary mortar including cement mortar, fire-resistant mortar, or encasing with concrete to form a composite structure, or replacing it with other materials such as steel instead of concrete.