In 1987, commuters at London’s King’s Cross witnessed the worst fire in the history of the London underground. which took the lives of 31 people and injured many more.

The tragedy brought about monumental changes in fire safety in all underground stations and The Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) Regulations 1989 – more commonly known as the Section 12 regulations – came into force on 18^th September 1989.

These regulations specify the facilities, precautions, and practices necessary to avoid a disaster at underground stations including the requirement for non-combustible or low heat emission materials to reduce the spread of flame.

Airports, train and bus stations deal with many thousands of travellers every day and compliance with the myriad of safety regulations is critical to ensure their safety.

What Role Does Entrance Matting Play in Safety?

In emergency situations, your entryways are key to the safe evacuation of occupants.

As well as removing dirt and moisture to reduce the likelihood of slips and trips on the way into your building, high quality, fire-rated entrance matting can play a crucial role in keeping your entryways safe in emergency situations by limiting their contribution to fire and smoke.

Fire Resistant Entrance Matting

Commercial entrance matting consists of two parts; a non-combustible aluminium profile and an insert.

The wide range of inserts available include fibre, rubber and brush and you should ensure you select an insert tested and classified to a suitable standard under EN 13501-1 for your application.

INTRAlux Ultima, INTRAlux Premier and INTRAlux Grafic fibres are all Bfl-s1 rated which means they have a very limited contribution to fire.

However, when it comes to underground stations and high-risk entrances you should consider using a specialist system such as INTRAform FR.

The system is made from A1-rated (non-combustible) aluminium, with multi-directional rubber inserts that meet both the BS6853 Cat 1A requirements and achieve the highest HL3 rating under EN45545 -2 – the European railway standard for fire safety.

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INTRAform FR in action

Authorised for use across the London Underground network, including section 12 locations, INTRAform FR is used at transport hubs across the UK including the 2019 RIBA London, Building of the Year, London Bridge Station, the UK’s third busiest station, Liverpool Street Station and the recently upgraded, White Hart Lane Overground station.

Each project has utilised INTRAform FR in different ways to meet fire safety requirements without compromising on performance.

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Want to learn more?

Book our 1-hour RIBA approved CPD seminar to learn how to specify the right combination of entrance matting products to meet performance standards and fire regulations without compromising your design.