Free Inspection & Test Plan (Passive Fire Protection Firestopping) Template

Purpose of the Free Inspection & Test Plan (Passive Fire Protection Firestopping) Template

Passive fire protection is a critical element of building safety, designed to contain fire and smoke by dividing a building into compartments. This slows the spread of fire, protecting occupants and property.

An Inspection & Test Plan (ITP) is a formal quality assurance document that outlines the specific checks, tests, and verification steps required to ensure firestopping systems are installed correctly. Our Free Inspection & Test Plan (Passive Fire Protection Firestopping) Template provides a structured starting point for this process.

It helps organisations document evidence that all penetration seals and joint systems meet the required specifications and standards, forming a crucial part of your project's safety and compliance records.

This template is designed to guide installers and supervisors through the key stages of verification, from material checks before work begins to final sign-off. It establishes clear hold and witness points, ensuring critical installation steps are reviewed by a competent person before being covered up.

Using a formal ITP promotes accountability and provides a clear, auditable trail of quality control measures. It complements other fire safety checks, such as those you might perform using our Free Pre-Start Checklist for Fire Panels, to create a more comprehensive fire safety management approach.

What is Passive Fire Protection Firestopping?

Firestopping is the practice of sealing openings and joints in fire-rated walls, floors, and ceilings. These openings, often created for services like pipes, cables, and ducts, can otherwise become pathways for fire and smoke to travel between compartments.

Effective firestopping uses specialised materials and systems to restore the fire-resistance rating of the barrier that has been penetrated. An Inspection & Test Plan for this work is essential because incorrect installation can render an entire fire safety system ineffective.

How to use the Free Inspection & Test Plan (Passive Fire Protection Firestopping) Template

This template is provided as a foundation for your site-specific quality assurance process. To use it effectively, follow these steps:

• Download and Review: Familiarise yourself with the structure, which includes sections for pre-installation checks, installation verification, and post-installation documentation.
• Customise for Your Project: This is the most important step. You must adapt the template to the specific firestopping systems, materials, and substrates used in your project. This includes referencing the correct manufacturer's technical data sheets, test reports, and installation instructions.
• Define Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly assign responsibility for each check, test, and sign-off to competent individuals (e.g., Installer, Supervisor, Third-Party Inspector).
• Implement and Document: Use the ITP throughout the installation process. Collect all required evidence, such as photos, batch numbers, and signed checklists, at each stage.

Note: We have provided this document as a starting point. It is essential that you customise it to reflect the specific hazards, risks, and legal requirements of your workplace and project.

Integrating this ITP into your overarching WHS management systems ensures that quality control for critical life safety systems is embedded in your organisation's processes.

When to use an Inspection & Test Plan

An Inspection & Test Plan for passive firestopping should be developed and implemented during any work involving the installation or remediation of fire-rated service penetrations and joints. Key scenarios include:

• New building construction: To ensure all new installations are compliant from the start.
• Refurbishments and fit-outs: When new services are added or existing ones are altered, requiring new penetrations.
• Remediation projects: To correct non-compliant or defective existing firestopping.
• Building maintenance programs: As part of a scheduled review and certification of a building's fire safety measures.

The completed ITP serves as a critical piece of evidence during project handover and for any subsequent WHS compliance auditing, demonstrating that due diligence was exercised in the installation of these life-safety systems.

Who should use it

This ITP template is designed for use by a range of personnel involved in the construction and maintenance of buildings. This includes:

• Project Managers: For overseeing quality control and ensuring project milestones are met with documented evidence.
• Site Supervisors & Foremen: For managing the day-to-day installation process and conducting on-the-ground checks.
• Firestopping Installers: As a guide to the required quality standards and documentation for their work.
• Building Certifiers & Surveyors: As a tool to verify that installations meet the requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC) and relevant standards.
• Fire Safety Engineers: For specifying quality assurance requirements and reviewing compliance evidence.

Personnel involved in the installation process are often working in active construction environments where multiple hazards are present. Safety procedures, such as those outlined in a Head Protection Toolbox Talk, should always be followed.