How Can I Ensure Firestopping Compliance During Multi-Phase Builds?
Ensuring firestopping compliance during a multi-phase construction project is one of the more complex tasks a site team can face. Different trades come and go. Walls get opened, closed, and reopened. Site conditions change. And often, work is done in sections across months or years. So how do you maintain a clear, auditable record of firestop installations from start to finish?
The key is building a system that tracks every installation, not just during inspections, but the moment it happens. In multi-phase projects, it’s not enough to rely on memory, paperwork, or spreadsheets. You need live, site-level data that moves with the project.
Digital compliance platforms like Bolster allow teams to log firestopping installations as they’re completed. This includes location-tagged photos, product details, installer name, date/time stamps, and digital sign-offs. Crucially, the data is linked to specific pins, floors, or rooms, so even if the site evolves, the record remains intact.
Here’s how it works in practice:
- When an installer completes a penetration seal, they open the Bolster app, drop a pin, snap a photo, select the products used, and complete a checklist.
- The record is automatically stored and made visible to managers and QA teams.
- If work is revisited later due to re-entry or late-stage trades, a new history is made on the same pin, giving a complete timeline of interventions.
This approach creates traceability that stands up to scrutiny. You can show exactly what was installed, where, when, and by whom, even across phases, contractors, or months apart.
It also enables better handovers. When one phase ends and another begins, new teams can review the firestop record before proceeding. That reduces duplication, missed penetrations, or invalidated installations. It keeps compliance alive throughout the build, not just boxed off at the end.
Firestopping is too important to be left to chance. It protects lives and underpins your project’s safety sign-off. In multi-phase builds, where complexity multiplies, digitisation is the only way to maintain control. With a tool like Bolster, compliance doesn’t fall through the cracks, even if the walls do.
