PAS 9980 FRAEW evidence readiness check
PAS 9980:2022 is the methodology for a fire risk appraisal of external walls (an FRAEW). Clause 9 sets out the information an assessor needs before they can start, and in practice the appraisal stalls far more often on missing information than on the wall itself.
This tool checks how much of that information you have, what a competent assessor will ask for next, and which of the PAS 9980 risk factors your building engages. It deliberately does not produce a risk rating.
Why there is no score here. PAS 9980 recognises exactly three risk ratings (low, medium and high), and it explicitly rejects reaching them by arithmetic. Clause 13 says: "It is not intended that this be seen as an attempt to introduce quantification (i.e. that if the number of positive risk factors outweigh the number of negative factors the result is, therefore, 'low' risk)… a single risk factor, be it positive or negative, might, if of such magnitude and significance, outweigh any number of opposite risk factors." Any tool that adds up weights and hands you a rating is doing the one thing the PAS tells you not to do. Reaching a rating is a judgement for a competent assessor on the actual building.
3 of 7 in place: 4 to close
The build-up is established, but 4 items are still outstanding. An assessor will raise them at the start, so closing them first avoids the appraisal pausing partway through.
Working
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Construction records for the external wallRecords exist but are incomplete or not clearly as-built, so the build-up is not yet evidencedPAS 9980 clause 9; Annex I | Gap |
| Site survey with opening-upNo survey carried out yetPAS 9980 clause 10; Annex J | Gap |
| Fire strategy or fire risk assessment for the buildingNot available: the assessor cannot evaluate the fire strategy risk factors without onePAS 9980 Annex F | Gap |
| Insulation product identifiedPhenolic or PIR foamPAS 9980 clause 11; Annex K | In place |
| Outer cladding or rainscreen identifiedHigh pressure laminate (HPL)PAS 9980 clause 11; Annex K | In place |
| Cavity barrier arrangement establishedPresent but incomplete, damaged or not verifiedPAS 9980 clause 11; Annex K | In place |
| Test evidence for the system as builtNo BS 8414 or desktop assessment evidence: not always required, but it is the strongest single piece of evidence about the systemBS 8414; BR 135 | Gap |
| Building height21 m: determines which legislative and guidance context appliesPAS 9980 Annex C; Annex D | 18 m or more |
What this means
- A single stair, or a population who could not self-evacuate, are Annex F factors that bear on the consequence of any external fire spread rather than on its likelihood. They are among the factors most likely to outweigh others in an assessor's judgement.
- ACM with a polyethylene core, and some HPL systems, are the constructions the remediation programmes were built around. Check the building's eligibility for the relevant funding route before the client commits to self-funding.
- This tool reports evidence readiness only. It does not produce a PAS 9980 risk rating, and it cannot: clause 13 is explicit that the method is not a quantification exercise, and that a single risk factor may outweigh any number of opposite ones. Ratings are low, medium or high, and reaching one requires professional judgement by a competent person on the actual building.
Sources
- PAS 9980:2022, clause 7Fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats: code of practice. Principles and scope of the FRAEW, including the risk ratings, of which there are three: low, medium and high.
- PAS 9980:2022, clause 9 and Annex IThe information required to complete an FRAEW, and how to go about gathering it.
- PAS 9980:2022, clause 10 and Annex JThe FRAEW site survey and inspection, and what to consider when carrying one out.
- PAS 9980:2022, clause 11 and Annex KFire performance of different external wall materials, systems and configurations, and the fire performance risk factors drawn from them.
- PAS 9980:2022, clause 12 and Table N.1Considerations for fully and partially clad buildings, and the façade configuration risk factors.
- PAS 9980:2022, Annex E and Annex FFire and rescue service intervention, and the risk factors arising from the fire strategy and fire hazards.
- PAS 9980:2022, clause 13The methodology for basic assessment. States that the approach is not an attempt to introduce quantification, and that a single risk factor might outweigh any number of opposite risk factors.
- BS 8414-1 and BS 8414-2Fire performance of external cladding systems, full-scale test methods.
- BR 135Fire performance of external thermal insulation for walls of multistorey buildings: the performance criteria applied to a BS 8414 test.
- The Building Regulations 2010, regulation 7(2)Ban on combustible materials in the external walls of relevant buildings over 18 m.
- Remediation Acceleration PlanGovernment programme to bring forward remediation of unsafe cladding, with milestones through to 2029.
This is an engineering aid, not engineering advice. The result above is produced from the inputs you gave and the guidance cited. It does not account for everything a competent fire engineer would consider on a real building, and it is not a substitute for reading the current published standard. Check every number before it goes into a design.
Questions people ask
What is a PAS 9980 assessment?
A fire risk appraisal of external walls, carried out to the methodology in PAS 9980:2022. It looks at the wall construction, the building and its occupants together, and produces a risk rating rather than a compliance verdict. It is the successor to the ad hoc external wall assessments that produced EWS1 forms.
What are the PAS 9980 risk ratings?
Three: low, medium and high. There is no fourth 'tolerable' rating, and there are no lettered categories such as A1, A2, A3, B1 or B2; those belong to the EWS1 form and to the European reaction-to-fire classes, and confusing them with PAS 9980 outcomes is common. A low rating generally means remediation of the external wall is not required, though management measures may still be recommended. Medium means there is uncertainty that either has to be tolerated or resolved, but with sufficient certainty that the risk is not high. High means the risk is not tolerable and remediation is needed.
Can a PAS 9980 rating be calculated from a scoring system?
No, and PAS 9980 says so directly. Clause 13 states that the method is not intended as an attempt to introduce quantification, and that a single risk factor (positive or negative) might, if of sufficient magnitude and significance, outweigh any number of opposite risk factors. A larger number of positive factors demonstrates a stronger evidence base, not a better score. Positioning within a band requires professional judgement by a competent person, which is why this tool reports what evidence you have rather than a rating.
Is PAS 9980 the same as EWS1?
No. EWS1 is a form used by lenders to record the outcome of an external wall assessment for valuation purposes. PAS 9980 is the technical methodology for carrying out the appraisal. A competent assessment to PAS 9980 can support an EWS1 rating, but the two are not interchangeable.
Does a PAS 9980 assessment need intrusive investigation?
Not always, but usually where the records are incomplete. PAS 9980 expects the assessor to have reliable information about what is actually in the wall. Where drawings, specifications and site records do not establish that, opening up is the only way to reach a defensible conclusion, and an assessment based on assumed build-ups is worth very little.
Who can carry out a PAS 9980 assessment?
Someone competent to do so: in practice a chartered fire engineer or a suitably experienced fire risk assessor with demonstrable external wall expertise, with access to specialist input on materials and construction. Competence is judged against the building in front of you, not a general qualification.
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