Documentation & Handover
Leave the next inspector enough evidence to understand what was done.
Overview
Passive-fire documentation is most valuable months or years after the work is finished. FRS structures project records so an asset or location can be traced back to the work completed and the supporting information relied on.
The record should follow the asset
A folder full of product data is not a passive-fire handover. The useful record connects the building location or asset ID to the installed condition, the system or repair basis, the photographs, and the project documents that support it.
- Asset or location reference — Lets the client and a later inspector find the item again
- System or service category — Tells you what kind of item it is at a glance
- Installed or rectified condition — Records what work was actually completed
- System, test or assessment reference — Connects the physical work to the test report behind it
- Before, after or installation-stage photographs — Shows context and concealed stages where captured
- Labels and tags — A field reference on the asset that points straight back to the record
- Drawings, schedules and mark-ups — Shows location and project context
- Outstanding exceptions — Prevents unresolved technical items disappearing from the completed pack
- Reviewer and approval records — Where the project runs a review step, it is captured with the item
Technical library
Records and handover guides.
How should passive fire before-and-after photographs be taken?
Take two photographs, not one: a wider shot showing where the item sits, then the technical close-up. A close-up of sealant, a door edge or a coating with no location context is weak evidence, because nobody can tell afterwards where it was taken.
Scott CunninghamWhat do labels and asset IDs prove — and what do they not prove?
A label proves that someone created an identification record, and possibly that there is a link to a schedule or a system reference. It does not prove that the current installation matches that evidence, or that it has not been altered since.
Scott CunninghamWhat should a passive fire asset register contain?
Enough for another person to find the item, understand what it is, see its status and connect it to the relevant evidence. In practice: a unique asset ID, the location described well enough to walk to, the item type, the system installed and the evidence reference behind it, the installer and date, the current condition or status, and photographs. A register that cannot be searched and reused is a list, not a register.
Scott CunninghamWhat should be included in a passive fire handover pack?
A location and asset schedule, the installed or rectified condition of each item, the supporting system information, photographs, and any outstanding exceptions. It should be searchable and reusable, not a folder of product brochures.
Scott CunninghamQuestions
Frequently asked questions
- Do you provide labels and asset tags?
- Yes. Tagged on the asset and tied to the register entry, so the record is findable from the item and the item is findable from the record.
- Can you update our existing register rather than create a new one?
- That is the preferred approach where you already have usable IDs and locations. We preserve your reference, add the completion records, and avoid parallel registers that drift apart.
- Do photographs prove the installation is compliant?
- No. Photographs are evidence of what was visible at a point in time. They are strongest linked to the asset, the installation stage and the supporting system information.
- What happens to unresolved items at handover?
- They stay visible as exceptions or outstanding actions. A close-out pack does not turn "not yet resolved" into "complete" because the construction programme has ended.
Drawings, photos or a defect report in front of you?
Send what you already have. We will tell you what else is needed before the work can be reviewed, priced or booked for site inspection.