Independent passive fire protection inspection for main contractors — an extra set of competent eyes on the fire-stopping subcontractor's work, verifying that what is installed matches the tested detail and the approved design, and producing the evidence to prove it.
In July 2026 the Building Safety Regulator put main contractors on notice: on higher-risk buildings it will look closely at how subcontractors are managed and at the quality of the work, as projects move from gateway two to gateway three. Its message, in substance — a main contractor who has no one with the professional expertise to judge what quality a specialist should be delivering, and to challenge poor work, is not doing the job.
Passive fire protection is exactly where that expertise is thin on the ground — a discipline concealed above ceilings and inside shafts, signed off on trust and rarely checked by anyone independent of the installer. We are that independent check.
Paraphrased from the Building Safety Regulator, July 2026, as reported by the Fire Protection Association.
Inspection against the approved design and the manufacturer's tested detail — carried out as the work proceeds, so defects are caught while they can still be corrected, not after concealment.
Installed fire-stopping checked against the coordinated design and penetration schedule the building was granted at gateway two — not against a generic checklist.
Each seal confirmed against a manufacturer-tested system for the exact service, aperture and substrate — the right product, at the right depth, installed the way it was tested.
Barriers checked for the fixings, compression and orientation the test demands — because a barrier installed outside its tested scope is not a barrier.
Fire-rated systems verified as whole tested assemblies — correct boards, layers, fixings and junctions — rather than a rating assumed from a board type.
We inspect while access still exists, so a seal can be verified against its system rather than trusted after the ceiling closes.
Where work does not meet the tested detail we say so, in writing, with the reason and the correction — the challenge the regulator expects a competent contractor to be able to make.
Most passive fire packages are handed over as a completion certificate and a folder of photographs. That is not evidence. This is.
Every inspected element logged with its location, the tested system it was checked against, and a clear pass, fail or refer status.
Images captured before concealment and tied to the specific tested detail, not a loose folder with no traceability.
Non-conformances raised as they are found, tracked to close-out, and re-inspected once corrected — so nothing is quietly left open.
A plain statement of where the installed work matches the approved design and tested details, and where it does not.
Structured to slot into the building's golden thread of safety information under the Building Safety Act 2022, ready for gateway three.
Where an element was concealed before inspection, that is stated plainly rather than presumed compliant — the difference between evidence and assumption.
We pick up incomplete packages mid-project: surveying what is already installed, verifying what can be verified against the tested detail, and logging clearly and honestly what cannot — because it was concealed before anyone recorded it. You get an accurate line in the sand and a plan to close the gaps, rather than a completion certificate that quietly assumes the work behind the ceiling is sound.
The competent, independent PFP oversight the regulator now expects you to demonstrate over your fire-stopping subcontractor, from gateway two to gateway three.
Assurance that the passive fire protection you are paying for is installed to the tested detail — verified by someone with no stake in signing it off.
An independent check that strengthens your own handover evidence and demonstrates the quality of your installation to the contractor above you.
The value of an inspection is its independence: we do not install the work we inspect, so there is no incentive to pass it. Our judgement rests on sixteen years in passive fire protection across London and the South East, with competence independently third-party assessed since 2016 across penetration sealing, cavity barriers, fire-resisting partitions and fire-rated timber doorsets. Every judgement is made against the manufacturer's tested detail for the substrate and service present, and against ASFP guidance. Goldthread Ltd carries professional indemnity insurance, alongside public and employers' liability, and stands behind the findings it issues.
This is independent verification and evidencing of installed passive fire protection. It is not a fire risk assessment, and it does not transfer the installer's or principal contractor's responsibilities — it gives you the competent, documented check the regulator now expects you to be able to show.
Tell us about the project and the stage it's at, and we'll take it from there.
Contact us