Cost-benefit analysis of residential sprinklers – Application of a judgement value method

Hopkin, Danny; Spearpoint, Michael; Arnott, Matthew; Coile, Ruben Van

doi:10.1016/j.firesaf.2019.04.003

Cited by 16 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Slight injuries per fire after safety scheme (injuries/fire) proposals may result in a net dis-benefit to society, subject to mean value inputs. Contrary to similar studies, where the aversion of fatalities proved to be the dominant benefit derived from residential sprinklers, 5,16,24,25 Figures 4 and 5 show the reduction in property damage to be the dominant benefit. This is largely due to small number of casualties in HRRBs in the considered periods (noting the omission of the Grenfell Tower fire).…”

Section: Analysis Of Proposalsmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…Hopkin et al 5 shows the derivation of the J-value with the sole motivation being improving life expectancy in the first instance, given as:…”

Section: The J-valuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the safety investment relates to the reduction of future risk, the J-value analysis requires that future costs and benefits incurred at different times are discounted to a common reference point, or annualised, using a (continuous) discount rate (γ). The derivations set out in Hopkin et al 5 show the inclusion of discounted values for both the ongoing costs and lifetime benefits in the total J-value, given as:…”

Section: The J-valuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Primarily, a fire safety system is judged by its effectiveness in reducing fatalities, injuries and property damage. In the CBA studies reviewed in Hopkin et al, 5 different methods are used to quantify these efficiencies and a range of values are found. In Fraser-Mitchell and Williams, 16 a method that linked the benefits of a sprinkler system to the size of the fire was proposed as a means of estimating effectiveness.…”

Section: Effectiveness Of Residential Sprinklersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is therefore reasonable to suggest that these proposals are assessed to inform whether or not the widespread installation of sprinklers in HRRBs provides a net benefit to society, or whether the cost to do so likely negates any benefits of the proposals and that finite financial resources may be better invested elsewhere. 5 Decisions on fire safety policy and design guidance are often underpinned by studies termed as Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs). Within RIAs, it is not uncommon for agencies around the world to conduct some form of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) when proposing an investment in a safety measure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Application of a judgement method to regulatory impact assessments for sprinkler protection to English high‐rise residential buildings

Arnott¹,

Hopkin²,

Spearpoint³

2020

Fire and Materials

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

When proposing a widespread investment in a safety measure, it is common for some form of regulatory impact assessment to be undertaken. In this study, the costeffectiveness of two proposals made by government bodies in England are investigated. The first is made by the London Assembly Planning Committee (LAPC) to retrofit London's existing high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs) with sprinkler systems. Similarly, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has called for evidence to support reducing the trigger height for sprinkler provision in new HRRBs. The redundant concept of a value for a preventable fatality is addressed using the J-value methodology. The baseline results show a J-value above unity for both proposals, suggesting that they are potentially not cost-effective. A sensitivity analysis highlights the embedded uncertainty and the implications for the J-value. For the MHCLG proposal, a large increase in annual fatalities for HRRBs would be required to support a reduction in trigger height for the inclusion of sprinklers. However, reasonable modification of some inputs results in a J-value below unity for the LAPC proposal, suggesting that this may be a cost-effective safety investment. It may be argued that this proposal be implemented to err on the side of caution.

show abstract

Section: Analysis Of Proposalsmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…Hopkin et al 5 shows the derivation of the J-value with the sole motivation being improving life expectancy in the first instance, given as:…”

Section: The J-valuementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The J-valuementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effectiveness Of Residential Sprinklersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Application of a judgement method to regulatory impact assessments for sprinkler protection to English high‐rise residential buildings

Arnott¹,

Hopkin²,

Spearpoint³

2020

Fire and Materials

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Demonstrating adequate safety for a concrete column exposed to fire, using probabilistic methods

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Demonstrating adequate safety for exceptional designs and new design applications requires an explicit evaluation of the safety level, considering the uncertainties associated with the design. The recently published PD 7974-7:2019 provides five routes to demonstrating adequate safety through probabilistic methods but does not include worked examples. The case study in this paper presents three state-of-the-art approaches for demonstrating achievement of an absolute safety target (acceptance concept 'AC3' in PD 7974-7:2019) for a concrete column in an office building with stringent reliability requirements. The case study shows how fragility curves listed by, for example, industry organizations can support probabilistic approaches and a more comprehensive understanding of design performance.

show abstract

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Fire Safety Measures

Jaldell

2022

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers Series

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cost-benefit analysis of residential sprinklers – Application of a judgement value method

Cited by 16 publications

References 13 publications

Application of a judgement method to regulatory impact assessments for sprinkler protection to English high‐rise residential buildings

Application of a judgement method to regulatory impact assessments for sprinkler protection to English high‐rise residential buildings

Demonstrating adequate safety for a concrete column exposed to fire, using probabilistic methods

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Fire Safety Measures

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About