The British Standards Institution (BSI) has opened a Draft for Public Comment on proposed amendments to BS 750: Underground fire hydrants. Surface box frames and covers, directly responding to Recommendation 40 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report. The consultation, open until 13 April 2026, signals a shift from legacy specification-based standards toward clearer, evidence-driven performance requirements for fire hydrant infrastructure across the UK.
The proposed revisions focus on improved definition of flow coefficient measurement, strengthened third-party verification and certification requirements, and enhanced technical clarity within the standard. For London construction projects and wider UK infrastructure, this development introduces new expectations around traceability, performance validation, and accountability for critical fire safety systems.
For contractors, designers, water companies and fire and rescue services, the consultation indicates a tightening of compliance expectations under a post-Grenfell regulatory environment, where even traditionally “fixed” infrastructure components are subject to increased scrutiny, documentation, and potential liability.
What Is Changing in BS 750 Fire Hydrant Standards and Why It Matters for UK Construction Compliance
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has released a draft amendment to BS 750, the standard governing underground fire hydrants and associated surface box components, as part of its response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations. The proposed changes introduce clearer requirements for the measurement of flow coefficients, alongside strengthened expectations for third-party verification and certification of hydrant performance.
These revisions aim to improve consistency, transparency and reliability across fire hydrant infrastructure, which is critical for emergency response capability.
For construction stakeholders, the amendment signals a transition toward more explicit evidential standards, where performance data, certification processes, and technical definitions must be clearly documented and demonstrable within the broader framework of fire safety compliance and regulatory oversight.
Evidence-Based Summary
Fire hydrant standards are not being revised due to a single technical issue but as a combination of post-Grenfell regulatory pressure, identified gaps in performance verification, and the need for clearer technical definitions within critical safety infrastructure.
While hydrant systems have traditionally been treated as fixed specification elements, evidence shows that measurement methods, certification processes and accountability for performance are now being brought under increased scrutiny.
In practical terms, contractors, designers and asset owners may need to demonstrate more robust evidence of hydrant performance, including verified flow measurements and third-party certification, as part of wider fire safety compliance expectations in the UK construction sector.
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Expert Verification & Authorship: Mihai Chelmus
Founder, London Construction Magazine | Construction Testing & Investigation Specialist |
