By partner Simon Lewis, managing associate Michelle Essen and socilitor Ryan Lavers What a year it’s been for building safety The construction sector has seen a significant amount of progress in this area over the last 12 months. To give some perspective on how things have changed, we’ve looked at the
Introduced to Parliament in June 2021, the Building Safety Bill establishes a new regime that will overhaul the building safety system in England and Wales. It brings in a stringent framework for high-rise buildings, which will strengthen regulatory requirement before building work commences, through construction and before occupation. The Bill,
AECOM director David Ross said: “AECOM provided strategic and technical support to DLUHC in its development of the changes to Part L (conservation of fuel and power) and Part F (ventilation) of the Building Regulations and the introduction of Part O (overheating). Our work supported policy development in areas such
The Fire Brigades Union lawyer for the inquiry has placed central importance on the “agenda of deregulation, privatisation and marketisation” as causing the disaster. Martin Seaward said that an agenda “which encouraged companies to behave recklessly towards building safety” was “actively and, regrettably, deliberately created by central government”. The comments
While slip and fall accidents can occur in any workplace environment like an office or a warehouse, the chance of a serious slip and fall accident is far more common among construction workers. In fact, in 2018, there were a reported 320 construction workers who were fatally injured as a
Andy Swift, sales and operations manager for ISO-Chemie, says changes to Part L of the building regulations will see housebuilders increasingly consider alternative ways to improve airtightness as energy ratings for buildings and property are tightened. Changes to Part L of the Building Regulations, which come into effect December 2021,
Rishi Sunak has announced the Government’s £5bn commitment to remove unsafe cladding from the highest risk buildings, which he says will be partly funded by the Residential Property Developers Tax. This will be levied on developers with profits over £25m at a rate of four per cent. The news follows
The majority of Self Assessment customers will have been affected in some way by the pandemic last year, which is why your tax return for the 2020/21 tax year may seem a bit different than in previous years. Whether you are new to Self Assessment or have been completing your
The City of Edinburgh Council is reminding all city landlords and homeowners that every home in the Scotland must comply with new fire safety legislation which will come into force early next year. By February 2022, all Scottish homes will need to be fitted with interlinked smoke and heat alarms
The UK’s primary F-Gas register REFCOM has welcomed the Environment Agency’s decision to hammer a company with a fine of more than £1m for breaching the F-gas Regulations. The London-based firm IMO Gas Supplies Ltd was found guilty of seven separate offences all linked to breaches of regulation 31A of
By partner Simon Lewis, managing associate Michelle Essen and socilitor Ryan Lavers What a year it’s been for building safety The construction sector has seen a significant amount of progress in this area over the last 12 months. To give some perspective on how things have changed, we’ve looked at the biggest leaps forward in 2021; and have also cast an eye towards 2022 to consider what we can expect next. Building Safety Bill The most talked about legislative development in 2021 was the steady progress of the Building Safety Bill, which was officially laid before Parliament in July. While it was based in large part on the draft that was circulated for comment in 2020 and was therefore in many respects already familiar, its provisions are being increasingly scrutinised in its passage through Parliament. The Bill’s proposed changes are considerable, and include: more-than-doubling the limitation period for bringing a claim for breach of s.1 Defective Premises Act 1972 (DPA). This requires residential buildings to be habitable and built in a professional or workmanlike manner with proper materials. The Bill increases that limitation period from 6 to 15 years – and it would apply prospectively (going forward) and also retrospectively, meaning that claims that are currently time-barred would become an option again, inserting a brand new s.2A into the DPA, which would extend the DPA to cover subsequent building works (as s.1 only covers the original construction of the building), with a limitation period of 15 years prospectively, bringing s.38 Building Act 1984 into force, to allow claims for damage caused by breach of Building Regulations, with a limitation period of 15 years prospectively, establishing a new Building Safety Regulator (BSR), and creating a new “duty-holders” regime – where duty-holders would have greater responsibility to explain how they are managing safety risks and to show the BSR that a building is safe for occupation. Duty-holders would include existing duty-holders under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, such as (Principal) Contractors, (Principal) Designers, and the Client. As we have said before, we are still just at the start of our journey with the Building Safety Bill. The effects of the changes it will bring and its impact on industry, including around risk and insurance, are hot topics of discussion which we explored with industry leaders recently. In the meantime, the Bill continues to make its way through Parliament, and is expected to receive Royal Assent in 2022. It is worth reiterating though that the Bill when it becomes law will have a more limited effect in Scotland, which has its own building and fire safety regime. Fire Safety Act 2021 The Fire Safety Bill, which we have considered before, was given Royal Assent in April, becoming the Fire Safety Act 2021. It was not smooth progress into law for the Bill, as the House of Lords requested leaseholder protection on three separate occasions because it wanted building owners to be responsible for the costs of remedial works, or a system of government grants or loans in place if leaseholders were to bear the cost of repairs themselves. In the end, the Act did not take this leaseholder protection into account, and instead it is possible for building owners to pass the costs of fire safety works onto leaseholders via increased service charges or similar. Again, the position in Scotland is different, as the Fire Safety Act only applies to England and Wales. Cladding Remediation – Government Funds The Building Safety Fund (BSF) of £1bn, which was set up in 2020, has continued to provide support in 2021 to help landlords who own residential buildings of 18m or more in height to remove unsafe non-aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding. The aim of this fund is to protect leaseholders from the cost of these remediation works through increased rent payments or service charges. 2021 also saw a brand new fund created – the Waking Watch Relief Fund – to provide an additional £30m for applicants to the BSF to fund waking watch (i.e. building patrols to detect fire), since the cost of fire alarms are not covered by the BSF funding. This fund was announced in December 2020 and opened for applications in January 2021. £22m of the £30m available was to be spent in cities where private-sector buildings were deemed most at risk due to their prevalence of built-up areas (namely Greater London, Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Newcastle and Bristol), with the remaining £8m planned for other private-sector buildings in England plus all social-sector housing over 18m . The fund closed in April, reopened in May to distribute unused funding, and then closed again in June. It is also worth noting that in the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor said “we’re also confirming £5bn to remove unsafe cladding from the highest risk buildings partly funded by the Residential Property Developers Tax”. We know about that Tax but details about what constitutes the rest of that funding is still awaited. Changes to Planning Permission Requirements The Hackitt Report’s recommendations included the addition of several “Gateways” to check that newly designed buildings are safe for residents to live in. In August 2021, Gateway One came into force, in the form of new planning requirements. Now high-rise developers must consider fire safety in new developments at the planning permission stage, to be evidenced as a part of the planning permission process through the submission of a fire statement. Local authorities are expected to engage with the Health and Safety Executive when reviewing the fire statements provided by developers, but this role is expected to be taken over by the new BSR when it is operational. Gateways Two and Three under the Building Safety Bill will be before the building works start and when the building works are completed respectively, and are anticipated to come into force around late 2023. What to look out for in 2022 We anticipate a number of other significant developments in building safety in 2022: Phase 2 Grenfell
Introduced to Parliament in June 2021, the Building Safety Bill establishes a new regime that will overhaul the building safety system in England and Wales. It brings in a stringent framework for high-rise buildings, which will strengthen regulatory requirement before building work commences, through construction and before occupation. The Bill, which has been welcomed by leading building control and regulation expert, Bureau Veritas, includes a range of new measures – including competence requirements, duty holder accountability, a ‘golden thread’ of building information and mandatory reporting to a newly-appointed Building Safety Regulator. Crucially, it also includes a three-stage ‘gateway’ process. Gateway One regulations were enforced on 1 August 2021, whilst it is anticipated that the remaining two gateway regulations will come into force by 2023 as the Bill passes through Parliament. It is hoped that the new process – when fully enforced – will provide the home-building industry with the necessary framework it requires to deliver safe homes, along with clear accountability on those undertaking design and construction work. Andy Lowe, Technical & Training Director for Building Control at Bureau Veritas, said: “The Building Safety Bill is an absolutely crucial requirement for the construction industry. However, with mandatory regulations being introduced at different times, there is a very real risk of developers waiting for legislation to be introduced before making the necessary changes needed to ensure a smooth process to regulatory compliance – risking delays and increased costs at various approval points.” The requirements of Gateway three are a prime example of this. Gateway three will occur at the completion stage of a building and will be considered – like Gateway two – as a stop/go point. If requirements of the Gateway are not met at this stage, the Building Safety Regulator will not provide final certification; resulting in the developer needing to retrospectively correct noncompliant or defective work, risking lengthy delays to occupation and unbudgeted costs. Andy continued: “There is a slight misconception that Gateway three and the registration process for a new building are the same thing. It’s important for developers to fully understand the requirements of each stage of the gateway process ahead of planning and development to ensure they are not met with costly delays – whether they are mandatory now, or not. “Gateway three will take place when a building has been completed, and approval from the Building Safety Regulator must be obtained before it is formerly registered for occupation. Whilst it seems simple enough, there is a lot to consider at this stage with the application requiring plans and documents that reflect the ‘as built’ building, with paperwork demonstrating how the building works comply with the various new regulations. This is part of the ‘golden thread’ approach. “Only when the Regulator is satisfied a building meets all the requirements is it eligible for registration – and this must be done by the Duty Holder (or Principal Accountable Person), who identifies with having overall responsibility for the building safety risks. “Overall, the Gateway process will provide a very clear framework that will require regulation compliance at every stage of the build. It’s a necessary change for the industry, however construction companies are going to need to evolve quickly to meet the changes; particularly those working on large and longer-term projects. We’d therefore urge the industry to plan for these important changes now, irrespective of when the various Gateways are set to be introduced, or risk potential delays and increased costs further down the line.” Bureau Veritas works with developers as an independent third party throughout the building lifecycle to help reduce risk and to achieve compliance. This includes supporting on the ‘golden thread’ approach, and meeting the gateway requirements. For more information on the detail of the Building Safety Bill, download Bureau Veritas’ free ‘Understanding the Building Safety Bill’ webinar. To find out more about Bureau Veritas’ services or to discuss individual requirements with a member of the team, call 0345 600 1828 or visit www.bureauveritas.co.uk.
AECOM director David Ross said: “AECOM provided strategic and technical support to DLUHC in its development of the changes to Part L (conservation of fuel and power) and Part F (ventilation) of the Building Regulations and the introduction of Part O (overheating). Our work supported policy development in areas such as assessing the technical viability and the cost benefit of proposals. “New buildings have been set an improved performance standard which will make them more energy efficient through better insulation, better performing windows and more efficient building services. The new regulations should also encourage the early adoption of low carbon heat by presenting a roadmap for its implementation in new buildings and they are also more favourable to low carbon heat sources such as heat pumps. Standards have also been raised to reduce energy use and carbon emissions when carrying out works to existing properties such as retrofitting or extending the building. “These new regulations will have significant impact on the industry and the day-to-day decisions developers make about building design and specification. They should be seen as a stepping stone to the 2025 Future Homes and Buildings Standard and are an important milestone in the built environment sector’s journey to net zero emissions.”
The Fire Brigades Union lawyer for the inquiry has placed central importance on the “agenda of deregulation, privatisation and marketisation” as causing the disaster. Martin Seaward said that an agenda “which encouraged companies to behave recklessly towards building safety” was “actively and, regrettably, deliberately created by central government”. The comments were made as part of the opening statements for Module 6 of Phase 2 of the inquiry, which is set to focus on government. Seaward said that this agenda of deregulation, privatisation and marketisation had been in place for “more than four decades”, across multiple governments, and had “predictably… degraded public services such as building control and fire and rescue services, thereby [weakening] enforcement of these regimes, and led to the abolition of national bodies, ambiguity and confusion in the guidance which has been left unclarified, a culture of complacency created towards fire safety, both during and after building works, and private companies being enabled to put profit over people”. He stated that, in turn, these factors “contributed to the systemic failure of the building and fire safety regimes, thereby enabling the installation of cheap and dangerous rainscreen cladding systems all over the UK, including at Grenfell Tower”. Seaward specifically named the evolution of building safety regulation “Approved Document B [ADB] with ever greater complexity and flexibility, bringing concomitant ambiguity and scope for manipulation” as an issue here, with confusion around the ADB being “ruthlessly exploited by manufacturing companies for their own commercial self-interest” according to Seaward. He also pointed to the introduction of the Building Regulations 1985, which “replaced the previously detailed technical and prescriptive regulations, covering at least 300 pages, with ‘functional requirements’ covering just 25 pages, supplemented by guidance in the ADB”. This introduction of “functional” requirements was described by Seaward as a “major change”, which brought with it “significant flexibility” that in turn “could be and was exploited by some in the construction industry”. Seaward also noted that after the Lakanal House fire, a 2009 fire in which six people died, none of the coroner’s “recommendations were implemented either effectively or at all either by Lord Pickles [Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the recommendations were made], his successors or anyone else in government” – which Seaward said was “the consequence of the government’s deregulatory agenda”. The recommendations included ones relating to “stay put” guidance, guidance on high-rise firefighting, and sprinklers. For more information, comment and interview contact Ben Duncan-Duggal on ben.duncan-duggal@fbu.org.uk and 07825 635224.
While slip and fall accidents can occur in any workplace environment like an office or a warehouse, the chance of a serious slip and fall accident is far more common among construction workers. In fact, in 2018, there were a reported 320 construction workers who were fatally injured as a result of a slip and fall. Sadly, these tragic accidents could have been stopped had employers implemented the correct training and made sure employees were using the required fall prevention equipment. Here, we will look at how slip and fall accidents happen on a construction site, the types of accidents, and what steps can be put in place to prevent further accidents from occurring. Common Causes of Slip and Falls If you’re a construction worker, there are a variety of hazards in the workplace that can increase your risk of a slip and fall. These include uneven surfaces, slippery or wet surfaces, trash, or debris on the floor, as well as damaged or broken handrails. It is your employer’s responsibility to stop any of these hazards from occurring, as they can put you in harm’s way and increase your chance of getting injured. Types of Slip and Falls In the construction sector, there are two kinds of slip and fall accidents. These are falls on the same level, which usually result in less severe injuries, such as bruises, minor cuts, and strains. On the other hand, falls to a lower level can understandably cause severe, and potentially fatal injuries, especially if the worker falls from a level that is much higher off the ground. Steps to Prevent Slip and Falls Your employer has a legal responsibility to ensure the workplace is safe for all employees, including construction sites. Although some accidents are inevitable, there are steps your employer can take to protect you from slip and fall accidents. These include general housekeeping, maintaining indoor and outdoor surfaces, as well as examining lifting equipment. Other things employers can do include covering openings and holes, protecting stairs and ladders, and providing regular training for employees on all things health and safety. Common Slip and Fall Injuries If you are involved in a slip and fall accident, your injuries can be incredibly severe, especially if you have fallen from scaffolding. Some injuries can include burns or abrasions, amputation, fractures, and traumatic brain injury. Whatever injuries you sustain, you should hire a law firm like Oresky Law who can help represent you if you were injured. When picking the right slip and fall lawyers for the job, ensure they have excellent attention to detail as well as good time management skills, and that they are compassionate and understanding of your injuries. Do not delay in seeking help, as the longer you wait, the less chance you have of getting justice. While slip and fall accidents are more common on a construction site, that’s not to say they should ever happen in the first place. Should you have an accident on a construction site, make sure you hire an expert attorney to guide you through the case and get the compensation you deserve.
Andy Swift, sales and operations manager for ISO-Chemie, says changes to Part L of the building regulations will see housebuilders increasingly consider alternative ways to improve airtightness as energy ratings for buildings and property are tightened. Changes to Part L of the Building Regulations, which come into effect December 2021, are part of the Government’s national drive to see all new homes from 2025 deliver a 75% saving on carbon emissions when measured against current standards. In particular, Part L sees the provision for stricter standards and compliance procedures around energy and ventilation performance, laying out a roadmap to a net zero carbon future and new homes designed and built in-line with stricter carbon emissions targets. However, despite great strides in housing design and development, evidence continues to point to doors and windows as being the biggest culprits when it comes to the nation’s chronic energy inefficient homes. Indeed, it might be said that in the light of product innovation, its almost ‘criminal’ that the hundreds of thousands of new or retrofit installations completed each year remain unchecked or unregulated. This will leave a legacy of problems for years to come and cost millions of pounds to rectify. This is a pity because with advancements in cost effective, easy-to-use technologies, there should never be any justifiable reason for delaying or avoiding the specification of better energy efficient window and door sealing solutions. Right direction In this respect, the changes to Part L have to be seen as a step in the right direction for the fenestration sector. It will see requirements for improvements in air tightness, forcing them from 10 air changes per hour down to 8 air changes per hour and also U value on windows shifting from 1.6 to 1.2wm2 k/H, which will require more energy efficient sealant solutions such as thermal foam tapes. Heat will always find the fastest exit as it comes up against the ‘A’ or ‘A+’ rated window, and invariably this emanates from the 10mm or so expansion gap left around the window following fitment. This is normally left empty, but some amount of spray foam can be injected to fill the void before a silicone trim is applied for a smart looking finish. Unfortunately, as expedient as this might seem, none of these solutions create a measurable, long term, high performance thermal, acoustic or airtight barrier – the U-Value of the installed window is simply reduced, which leads to heat escape and, ultimately, financial loss. That’s why the house building industry and wider construction sector deserves better insulating solutions to improve energy efficiencies, especially if as predicted, the UK market stays buoyant over the next 12 months as the economy continues to recover from the pandemic and building and construction activity remains busy, particular in the face of a chronic national housing shortage and the need to build more affordable housing. In modular construction, which is gaining increasing traction and will see continued integration with the more traditional methods of building in 2022, enabling developers to bring forward housing projects more expediently, designers and specifiers are looking at new ways to deliver low carbon structures, which use sustainable technologies to deliver measurable airtight, acoustic and thermal sealing benefits. And this is where self-adhesive foam sealing tapes can add real value, enabling developers to bring forward housing projects more expediently. They can use ‘smart’ foams impregnated with different substances to create a measurable U-Value as low as 0.6w/m2k, offer superb thermal insulation and can contribute to acoustic sound reduction by 63dB. As these installation tapes are completely weather tight against driving rain up to hurricane force wind speeds, installers can quickly apply them around the frame during initial fitting. This provides the assurance that they have completed a comprehensive ‘A’ rated installation rather than just supplying an ‘A’ rated window. This is a benefit that can be sold on to deliver enhanced energy efficiency advantages for customers and property owners. Fit for future Building regulation changes will have an unequivocal impact as energy ratings for buildings and property become stricter, and these include energy and ventilation standards for residential and non-domestic buildings that are far better for the environment and fit for the future – higher air and thermal standards for house construction has to be a priority. Technical innovation through sealing technologies is one way that those responsible for fenestration specification can do more to support greater energy efficiency and mee the requirements of Part L. Indeed, as sustainability continues to be of paramount concern in the development of low carbon and eco-friendly building projects, we will see technologies such as energy foam tapes, which can add real value during the initial and post construction phases, only grow in importance as the most effective solutions for sealing window and door frame expansion joints and gaps in houses. Today, there are effective products out there to ensure that airtightness and thermal efficiency within buildings should never be overlooked or ignored – it’s simply a matter of designing in these products. More at https://www.iso-chemie.eu/en-GB/home/
Rishi Sunak has announced the Government’s £5bn commitment to remove unsafe cladding from the highest risk buildings, which he says will be partly funded by the Residential Property Developers Tax. This will be levied on developers with profits over £25m at a rate of four per cent. The news follows the Commons Housing Select Committee’s plea to establish a new, larger fund “that addresses the true scale of fire safety issues”.[1] The Government’s latest commitment is by no means the end of the post-Grenfell overhaul. The Building Safety Bill, published in July 2021, aims to transform the existing fire safety system and increase accountability, transparency, and oversight of fire safety throughout the life of a building. Under the proposals, a new national regulator will be established to maximise fire safety during a building’s design, construction, completion and eventual occupation. The Government also plans to change the law to give homeowners 15 years – rather than six – to take action against rogue developers. In addition, new British Standards Institution guidance is expected by the end of the year regarding personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled, aged, and vulnerable residents. However, there are also new intelligent ways to cut risks in social housing that can be implemented now to support the aims of the bill and Fire Safety Act 2021 and ultimately protect tenants, building managers, and landlords. By introducing connected technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), social landlords can relieve some of the burden of fire prevention and make life safer for their tenants. Post-Grenfell, more than 400 ‘waking watches’ were established around the country to monitor buildings, costing Londoners alone £145 million per year.[2] This sum is equivalent to more than a third of the London Fire Brigade’s annual budget, essential for keeping the capital safe from life-threatening disasters such as fires, terrorist threats and flooding.[3] Relying on humans for fire prevention should not be the only intervention and is not financially sustainable in the long-term. With remote monitoring and cloud connectivity of smoke detectors, social landlords can streamline fire prevention, and create an opportunity for centralised, off-site monitoring. Nick Rutter, Chief Product Officer of fire safety technology experts FireAngel, says, “Connected technology can be installed within the parameters of an existing budget, and support waking watches in the short-term by sending instant notifications when an alarm is activated, any devices are removed from the base, or a tenant needs assistance. Looking to the future, a combination of IoT, robust fire detection and alert systems and evacuation plans unique to each resident’s needs could replace the need for on-site waking watches completely. Connection to the IoT also enables landlords to monitor essential features such as the building’s age and condition and the wear and tear of electrical appliances. This combination of IoT and AI technologies provides a 24/7 overview of buildings and their changing fire risks, collecting data that can be analysed for trends and patterns, in turn, supporting the transparency aims of the Building Safety Bill. As tenants at risk await further legislative updates, now is the time for the fire industry and social landlords to keep pace with the future of fire safety and adopt new ways of protecting resident wellbeing.” [1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/28/mps-vote-for-fifth-time-not-to-protect-leaseholders-from-fire-safety-bills [2] https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/assembly/waking-watches-costing-londoners-16000-an-hour [3] https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/assembly/waking-watches-costing-londoners-16000-an-hour
The majority of Self Assessment customers will have been affected in some way by the pandemic last year, which is why your tax return for the 2020/21 tax year may seem a bit different than in previous years. Whether you are new to Self Assessment or have been completing your tax return for many years, preparing your paperwork now can help avoid the unnecessary stress of leaving it until the last minute and will prevent you making mistakes or forgetting to include your allowances. If you’re self-employed and have earned more than £1,000 between 6 April 2020 and 5 April 2021, you will need to file your paper tax return by 31 October 2021 or 31 January 2022 for online returns. If you’re new to Self Assessment, you must ensure you leave enough time to register for Self Assessment first via GOV.UK in order to receive your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and activate your account. Self-employed individuals must also register for Class 2 National Insurance. By registering early, you’ll be able to access guidance to help you to understand your tax obligations such as record keeping, filing and payments deadlines, and the potential for a first tax payment to include a payment on account. Thousands of people chose to get ahead of the game this year – more than 63,500 customers filed their tax return on 6 April 2021, the first day of the tax year. Filing early means you know what tax you owe. The sooner you file, the more time you have to plan and budget for the tax you need to pay. And it doesn’t mean you have to pay your tax any earlier, you still have until the deadline on 31 January 2022 to pay your tax. For those worried about paying their tax bill, make sure you access the support and advice that’s available to you as we may be able to help by arranging an affordable payment plan. Visit GOV.UK and search ‘time to pay’. If you have been affected by COVID-19 and reached out for financial support, it is important to remember that you will have to declare any grants or payments you received from COVID-19 support schemes up to 5 April as these are taxable. This includes: Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) Other COVID-19 grants and support payments such as self-isolation payments, local authority grants and Eat Out to Help Out However, the £500 one off payment for working households receiving tax credits does not need to be reported in your Self Assessment. To find out which COVID-19 grant or support payments to include on your tax return, you can visit Reporting coronavirus (COVID-19) grants and support payments on GOV.UK for more information. So, start preparing for your Self Assessment now and leave yourself enough time to get the relevant documents together. Check your information is correct and set aside time to enter your details. The easiest way to file your tax return is online. You can do it at a time that suits you and it doesn’t even have to be completed all in one sitting. You can work around your busy schedule and your business by saving your progress in stages and coming back to it again and again. To find out more visit Self Assessment on GOV.UK.
The City of Edinburgh Council is reminding all city landlords and homeowners that every home in the Scotland must comply with new fire safety legislation which will come into force early next year. By February 2022, all Scottish homes will need to be fitted with interlinked smoke and heat alarms which talk to each other – so when one goes off, they all go off. As Edinburgh’s biggest social landlord, the Council is currently working with its contractors to fit new interlinked smoke and heat alarms, so that every one of its 20,000 Council-owned homes meets the new legislation and is made even more fire safe. When this work’s done in each property, the electrical contractors will also undertake an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) if one has not been carried out recently. Older residents in particular are being asked to be aware of the new fire safety legislation. The Council’s Older People’s Champion, Councillor Catherine Fullerton, is calling on everyone who manages properties for older tenants in Edinburgh to make sure all new standards are met so everyone has the best chance of getting to safety in the event of a fire. Cllr Fullerton said… It’s absolutely vital that landlords and property management companies, particularly those that have a responsibility for older people within our communities, understand the new fire safety rules coming into force and act on them as quickly as possible. All properties, without exception, must be fitted with the new interlinking alarms, heat alarms and, where required, carbon monoxide detectors too. I’d also urge older people or people with older relatives who own their own homes to check out the Scottish Government’s dedicated ‘Fire safety for homeowners’ webpages for more details and, if necessary, to help them to get their homes fitted with the right kind of alarms. There is also clear guidance for private and social tenants as well as new build homes. I’d encourage everyone to be sure they are using a Trusted Tradesperson to change their fire alarms to meet the new law – please don’t run the risk of having faulty or non-compliant ones fitted A ‘Trusted Trader’ in Edinburgh can be found by using this website: www.trustedtrader.scot/Edinburgh/ If an older person is receiving Universal Credit, Edinburgh Care and Repair Service has been awarded funding from the Scottish Government to provide this service for free. If not, there will be a reasonable charge. You can telephone for further advice on 0131 337 111 or email reception@cre.scot.
The UK’s primary F-Gas register REFCOM has welcomed the Environment Agency’s decision to hammer a company with a fine of more than £1m for breaching the F-gas Regulations. The London-based firm IMO Gas Supplies Ltd was found guilty of seven separate offences all linked to breaches of regulation 31A of the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations over a two-year period. It was given five separate fines of £200,000 each for failing to ensure that the quantity of HFCs it was using did not exceed its f-gas quota. It also received a £10,000 fine for failing to sufficiently report imports of HFCs to the European Commission and a £1,500 penalty for not keeping proper records. The company is reported to have been using refrigerants R134A, R404A, R410A and R407C, which are all subject to restrictions under the F-Gas regulations. “This is precisely the kind of tough action we have been urging from the Environment Agency,” said REFCOM’s head of technical Graeme Fox. “It is the direct result of a tip-off from a REFCOM member who had become exasperated by this kind of irresponsible behaviour that gives the whole sector a bad name. “This is only the second fine issued to an F-Gas offender, but it is a huge statement of intent from the EA. However, we know this is not an isolated incident and the battle goes on against rogue traders who seem bent on flouting this vital environmental law for financial gain.” Frustrated REFCOM said its members had been frustrated by the apparent lack of enforcement of the F-Gas regulations which puts them at a commercial disadvantage because unregistered firms were getting away with not investing in training and the systems needed to keep track of their gas usage. “We have been telling the authorities about the need for visible policing for years and, hopefully, other offenders will take note and mend their ways,” said Fox. “We are delighted to see an example being made of this company and hope this will make others think again about putting the quality of services and products at risk, endangering lives and property, and undermining the UK’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” REFCOM said it was also closely monitoring the use of illegally imported refrigerant gas in the UK. “The continued use of illegal refrigerants by unscrupulous contractors is a very serious problem,” said Fox. “Not only do they damage the environment and atmosphere but are an extreme danger to life and property. “This is another area where the authorities need to raise their game because there are still far too many ‘cowboy operators’ using illegal products that they buy online,” he said. “REFCOM members are audited to ensure safety and legal compliance so they are rightly sick of being undercut by uncertified firms using dangerous practices and dodgy products.” REFCOM recently recorded its 7,000th company membership, which represents an estimated 90% of the total number of firms operating in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors. Originally set up in 1996 by a group of contractors who wanted to demonstrate their commitment to high professional standards and responsible refrigerant handling, it became the country’s mandatory register in 2009 when the UK adopted the European F-Gas Regulation. The UK continues to ‘mirror’ the Regulation despite its departure from the EU, which means that all personnel carrying out installation, commissioning, decommissioning, repairing, maintenance, or servicing of stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning or heat pump equipment that contains or is designed to contain F-Gas refrigerants must hold the relevant designated qualifications. REFCOM members receive a range of business benefits alongside meeting their legal obligations. For example, specially designed software to help them manage their projects and track refrigerant usage was made available free of charge two years ago. The software, which would cost more than the REFCOM registration fee if bought separately, was developed by Joblogic and makes it easier for firms to remain compliant with the regulations. Registered firms also receive listing on the country’s largest F-Gas register, access to insurance services, the use of the REFCOM logo and other support. They also receive discounted training via the BESA Academy including the F-Gas renewal course. “We are making it as easy as possible for firms to be compliant with the law so there really is no excuse for not being registered,” said Fox.www.refcom.org.uk
