The Wood Protection Association (WPA) is calling for building designers to double-check the fire performance credentials of timber flame retardant treatments to ensure they really are fit for the application required.

To support this, the association has produced a fire retardant specifiers checklist. This is aimed to help specifiers select a product with the correct certification applicable to both the product and its method of application – by an industrial process or by hand on site.

The new checklist is available now and will form part of a new Fire Retardant Manual to be published later this year. This will include a list of products that have been independently tested by accredited bodies.

“The WPA Specifiers Manual for fire retardants has set the standard in the UK for the specification of treatments for many years” according to WPA director, Steve Young, who says the checklist is being published by the WPA in the interests of safety.

"Fire safety is a critical factor in building design. With the increasing use of wood as a low carbon sustainable construction material it is vital that any fire retardant treatment required in a building provides long-term, predictable protection backed by independent verification."