A proposed ASTM standard will provide a needed set of guidelines for conducting and reporting on the on-site inspections of fire resistive materials. Anyone interested, particularly people with inspection experience, is invited to help create the standard (WK54567, Practice for the On-Site Inspection of Installed Fire Resistive Materials).

Both spray-applied (SFRM) and intumescent (IFRM) materials are used on structural steel and other substrates to maintain structural integrity and safe conditions for as long as possible when a fire happens.

“These materials are a vital component in designing schools, hospitals, homes, offices, factories, petrochemical plants, and other places where structural steel is crucial to supporting the load of the structure,” says ASTM member Phil Mancuso, technical services manager, Isolatek International. “It is important that steel and other key structural elements are directly protected and properly inspected to ensure safety.”

In addition to giving building officials and fire marshals a way to inspect SFRM and IFRM materials, the proposed standard will offer potential code language that references both existing and new methods to inspect the materials. The proposed standard will also be used by architects, specifiers, building owners, and others involved in the fireproofing industry.

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN.