Fire Engineer, Tom Dale, recently presented at the British Damage Management Association (BDMA) Conference 2024.
Tom’s presentation, ‘Fire Safety Pitfalls Arising from Modern Methods of Construction’, summarised the advantages of modern methods of building construction, including modular construction and alternative materials. He also identified some of the fire safety issues associated with them, such as poor final onsite installation, use of combustible materials and the reliability of plasterboard. Each of these has the potential to increase the likelihood of a fire, and the extent of the damage caused.
Tom joined Hawkins as an Associate Forensic Investigator in 2022 and is based in our Birmingham office. He utilises his fire safety experience to conduct investigations into fire engineering design and construction defects, as well as alleged breaches of fire safety management. He regularly provides expert opinion on whether the building satisfied relevant legislation such as Part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations 2010 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These outcomes can advise clients on additional recovery and liability opportunities. He is also an experienced fire investigator, establishing their likely cause and origin, which complements his fire engineering expertise.
Visit the Built Environment section of our website to read more about Fire Engineering and our other construction-related expertise.
Please contact us if you would like Tom, or another Hawkins expert, to present to your organisation.