A Safer Future: Building Safety Forum

MULTI-DISCIPLINE principal contractor, Miller Knight, launched its first in a series of Building Safety Forum events this month at the iconic Villa Park, home to Aston Villa football club.

The event welcomed professionals from across the built environment sector, with a specific focus on remediation, refurbishment and regeneration, particularly in relation to fire protection and safeguarding solutions needed for the future proofing of buildings.

Industry insights were provided by representatives from BB7, TFT, Quelfire, Blackhurst Budd, the Fire Protection Association (FPA) and Miller Knight’s own managing director, Matthew Flower. Much was discussed including case studies demonstrating best practice, as well as those which otherwise failed in compliance and responsibility when it comes to fire protection.

As the industry continues to review its processes around fire safety, protection and responsibility, the forum provided a platform for reflecting on lessons learned from tragedies such as Grenfell and the more recent Dagenham high-rise fire. While it is widely recognised amongst professionals that more needs to be done, there are still instances where discrepancies are bought to the surface due to a lack of understanding around who is responsible for ensuring fire safety measures are enforced and adhered to when considering different property types.

Wayne Woodland, business development director at Miller Knight, said: “The event signifies the beginning of our vision for Miller Knight to be a leader in creating conversations around fire protection, remediation, regeneration and refurbishment.

“As the industry continues to adapt its ways of working following the Building Safety Act (BSA), we believe it is our responsibility to facilitate a forum which provides like-minded professionals with the opportunity to discuss and learn together to ultimately improve practice across the built environment, but most importantly, keeping people safe”.

One key insight and take away is that the market is vast, and the solutions are readily available to achieve safety and compliance. However, it’s key that managers, landlords and owners of buildings clearly understand who is responsible for implementing the wide range of fire protection measures needed to keep people and buildings safe from the risk of fire.

The Building Safety Forum aligns with Miller Knight’s long-term commitment to advancing safety and compliance. By facilitating dialogue and sharing expert knowledge and experiences, the event aided an industry wide conversation regarding regulation as changes continue to work their way into the process of remediation and refurbishment projects solidifying that what was once acceptable before, is not fit for purpose anymore. In light of various conversations, it was evident that the need for stringent processes in the fire and protection spaces isn’t a new issue, but the question on many people’s minds is how and why it has taken so long to get to this point of understanding and compliance.

This marks the first of a series of events that Miller Knight will host as the Building Safety Forum, with their next discussion aiming to take place in March 2025 in London.

For more information and to register your interest for the next event, please contact: enquiries@miller-knight.com