By FRA scope
A fire risk assessment covering the common parts plus limited destructive inspection. Used when concerns have been raised about compartmentation or other concealed elements that cannot be assessed by observation alone.
What it adds
Type 2 keeps the full Type 1 scope on the common parts and adds opening up of selected concealed elements: a sample of compartmentation walls and floors to verify fire-stopping at services penetrations, access panels into risers and voids to inspect the as-built condition, removal of suspended ceiling tiles to check the construction above. The sample size and locations are agreed with the dutyholder before the work starts.
When commissioned
How sample selection works
The destructive inspection is sample-based. The competent assessor and the dutyholder agree the sample size and locations before the work starts. The sample is typically targeted: locations selected because they are the most likely to reveal a problem (services penetrations, joints between original and refurbished construction, areas with refurbishment history). Random sampling is rare in Type 2 work.
After the openings are made and the inspection is complete, the openings are made good. The reinstated fire-stopping is part of the deliverable alongside the records.
Common pitfalls
In FRA Flow
In FRA Flow, a Type 2 assessment uses the standard workbench plus structured fields for the destructive inspection records: agreed sample locations, opening photographs (wide-context plus close-up of finding), inspection results, reinstatement record. The audit trail covers the destructive work as carefully as it covers the observational work.
FAQ
The competent assessor leads the work, often supported by a building surveyor or specialist fire-stopping contractor for the physical opening up and reinstatement. The FRA records who did each part of the work.
Type 2 is materially more expensive than Type 1 because of the destructive work, reinstatement, and additional inspection time. The exact cost depends on the building size and sample scope.
A Type 2 is typically a one-off targeted exercise, not a periodic recurrence. Once the specific concern has been verified or remediated, subsequent periodic reviews can usually return to a Type 1 scope.
Yes. Coordinating the destructive inspection with planned refurbishment opens the same access panels for both purposes and reduces overall disruption. The FRA records the joint work explicitly.
If sample findings suggest the compartmentation issues are systemic rather than localised, the dutyholder may need to commission a full compartmentation survey or a Type 4 FRA covering a sample of flats. The FRA records the position and the action plan reflects it.
Book a 30-minute walkthrough.
