A new management team has been unveiled for RECOM Solutions’ passive fire protection division, the fastest-growing arm of the group. Revenues for the division are on track to exceed £4.5m in the 12 months to April, up from £2.6m, following a raft of contract wins which has seen it expand
Chubb, the UK’s leading fire safety and security solutions provider, has launched a new video showcasing the exceptional service customers can expect to receive from its Blackburn Customer Experience Centre. The video marks a momentous occasion as Chubb has just recorded industry-breaking contact centre response rates. Last year, Chubb’s Customer
Global life safety company, Hochiki Europe has today announced the purchase of multi-million-pound facility in Chatham, Kent. Following sustained demand for the company’s leading fire detection equipment and systems, the new facility represents an investment of £5.5 million by the group. Residing on a site of 1.92 acres, the new
Today, PlanRadar, a leading digital construction, real estate and facilities management platform, announces that it has been adopted by leading fire safety and passive fire protection measures consultancy, Global HSE Solutions. PlanRadar’s powerful software will support the company’s Global Technical Services (GTS) division, which provides fire engineering advice and expertise
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are made under article 24(1) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (“the Fire Safety Order”), and came into force on the 23 January 2023. The regulations make it a legal requirement for responsible persons of a high-rise residential building to advise and
M&Y Maintenance and Construction have completed an extensive Fire Safety Project on two five storey apartment blocks on Cheapside in Liverpool City Centre. M&Y were appointed by Redwing in October 2021, to complete works to improve the fire safety of the buildings, including works to the façade, roof, courtyard decking
Considerations for facility owners and operators… While it may seem counterintuitive that fire is even a risk in spaces designed to maintain cold temperatures, cold storage in fact presents a huge fire hazard for warehouse designers and builders, life safety installation companies and facility owners. In this article we cover
General Air Products has partnered with Cortec® Corporation to develop a Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitor delivery system for corrosion mitigation of fire sprinkler systems. General Air Products calls this new Vapor Pipe Shield “A game-changing innovation in corrosion prevention technology for dry [and] pre-action fire sprinkler systems.” Cortec® is excited
Have you ever wondered why we charge what we do for our firestopping solutions? Stick with us and in this short article you will find out all about the Quelfire value proposition. Firstly, it is crucial to understand that our aim has never been to provide the cheapest products on
We often talk about why the industry needs to embrace cultural change and what it can do to facilitate this change. But with this, it is easy to forget to recognise the steps that have already been made in the right direction. Therefore, we wanted to focus on some of
BDC 322 : Nov 2024
A new management team has been unveiled for RECOM Solutions’ passive fire protection division, the fastest-growing arm of the group. Revenues for the division are on track to exceed £4.5m in the 12 months to April, up from £2.6m, following a raft of contract wins which has seen it expand into a nationwide operation. RECOM Passive Fire Protection has doubled the size of its team of directly-employed installers to 40 over the past 12 months. The team undertakes projects at locations including NHS Trusts and hospitals, schools and universities, government offices, social housing schemes, apartment blocks and office buildings. In line with its expansion, RECOM Passive Fire Protection has a new-look management team after a series of promotions and appointments. Sarah Leadbetter has been promoted to the newly-created role of head of the division, which will see her lead on the delivery of its commercial targets, focus on client retention and expansion, and support RECOM’s directors with their growth plans for the group. Jay Newby has been promoted from contracts manager to the new role of operations manager for RECOM Passive Fire Protection. His new position sees him working closely with contracts managers and leading on all site operations and project delivery. Gvidas Teresas has been promoted from supervisor to contracts manager and he will support Jay on service delivery. Richard Green has joined RECOM Passive Fire Protection as a contracts manager from Bell Group. He brings expertise in fire doors, with more than 10 years’ experience in this specialist field. Due to the division’s geographical expansion, Keron Jackson has been recruited as a contracts manager for the Midlands and is based in Birmingham. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to bolster RECOM’s national coverage. RECOM, which has its headquarters on the Waters Edge Business Park in Salford Quays,is an approved contractor under the UK’s Fire Accreditation Scheme (FIRAS) for its fire protection services, which include passive fire protection installation, fire door surveys and installations, repairs and upgrades, fire strategy reviews, compartmentation surveying, advice and guidance, training, development and support. The company, which was founded in 2015 by directors Jason McKnight and Joseph Dillon, also undertakes construction project management and main contracting work across sectors including healthcare, education, retail and leisure, commercial and residential. It also provides consultancy services to assist in the design and delivery of health and safety, sustainability and cladding projects. Jason said: “The creation of a dedicated management team for RECOM Passive Fire Protection, together with our new arrivals, provides an excellent platform for further strong growth for the division. “The market is growing rapidly amid greater awareness of the need for risk assessments, remediation work, building upgrades and ongoing maintenance in the new-build sector as well as at existing sites. “Only recently, new fire safety regulations have come into force as the government seeks to improve fire safety in high-rise apartment blocks by implementing recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. This once again demonstrates how seriously the issue of fire safety and protection needs to be taken throughout the property and construction sectors. “We have a highly-skilled and committed team and I am proud of their achievements to date. Our investment in new staff working alongside the new management team will give us the ability to take the division to the next level. “We are continuing to expand the team by recruiting additional supervisors and contracts managers to reflect the growth we are seeing across the UK. At the same time, we are placing a lot of emphasis on nurturing talent from within, and five RECOM trainees have recently gained diplomas to qualify as passive fire installers.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Chubb, the UK’s leading fire safety and security solutions provider, has launched a new video showcasing the exceptional service customers can expect to receive from its Blackburn Customer Experience Centre. The video marks a momentous occasion as Chubb has just recorded industry-breaking contact centre response rates. Last year, Chubb’s Customer Experience Centre answered 335,221 calls, an average of 94% of calls in 20 seconds. This smashes the call centre industry standard, typically set at 80% of calls answered in 20 seconds. This achievement echoes the findings of the recent Call Centre Helper survey1, which found that the importance of response time has more than doubled from 11.3% in 2021 to 22% in 2022, suggesting that customers are now looking for even greater speed when dealing with contact centres. In Chubb’s new video, Director of Business Support, Sue Dean takes us on a journey through its Customer Experience Centre, introducing the teams supporting customers and the company’s branch network. Chubb’s contact centre operates 24/7, 365 days a year, taking emergency calls, booking routine service visits and scheduling and dispatching work to its field-based engineers. Within Chubb’s business support teams, the company onboards all new customers and processes orders, which are then passed onto the branch network to deliver locally. Depending on the size and complexity of the customer requirements, Chubb has dedicated account management teams that tailor services and solutions to meet their specific needs. Sue said: “I’ve been with Chubb for 25 years, and I’m proud to lead an amazing team passionate about delivering great customer service. Our commitment to our customers is to offer a fast and effective resolution to every call that comes into our contact centre. We are proud that over 90% of our customer calls are answered within 20 seconds, which is a true testament to our dedicated teams and customer-centric ethos.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Global life safety company, Hochiki Europe has today announced the purchase of multi-million-pound facility in Chatham, Kent. Following sustained demand for the company’s leading fire detection equipment and systems, the new facility represents an investment of £5.5 million by the group. Residing on a site of 1.92 acres, the new building is over 24,000 square feet and will be in addition to the European Headquarters and Research and Development Centre in Gillingham, Kent. The building is part of the ongoing strategic expansion of footprint for the European arm of the group and will afford the company space to expand the existing operations in warehousing, production and distribution as well as the sales and administrative teams. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Hochiki’s operations in Europe. Today’s news is an exciting addition to their property portfolio and is seen as a significant investment in the future infrastructure of the company. The new facility will ensure future demand is met and order volume is delivered efficiently and effectively to customers in the UK, across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. Globally Hochiki employ over 2000 employees who work across six manufacturing plants, 38 sales offices and 14 subsidiaries. The new facility will bring with it new employment opportunities to the South-East, adding to the 180 strong staff already employed at the Head Office in Kent. Speaking about the expansion plans Graham Lowe, Managing Director at Hochiki Europe said: “Despite the challenging few years we have faced as a global community, I am proud of the efforts our teams have made to ensure our continued growth and I would like to thank each team member. Over the last six months we have been able to expand our teams to strengthen the expertise we offer our customers and now, with this new building, we can continue to deliver a world class service in fire safety to existing loyal customers and ever-growing pool of new customers” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Today, PlanRadar, a leading digital construction, real estate and facilities management platform, announces that it has been adopted by leading fire safety and passive fire protection measures consultancy, Global HSE Solutions. PlanRadar’s powerful software will support the company’s Global Technical Services (GTS) division, which provides fire engineering advice and expertise to both Tier 1 contractors and Global HSE’s own contracting arm as well as hosting fire door inspection courses through its in-house Global Academy. Particularly, it will assist in the delivery of more efficient, detailed and accessible fire safety information. The service will also help its clients to navigate an ever-changing legislative landscape – including new fire door assessments regulations that came into effect on the 23rd January 2023. It’s a complete approach for delivering surveys and inspection results and will be rolled out across GTS’s entire inspection and surveying team. Commenting on the partnership, PlanRadar Co-CEO, Ibrahim Imam says, “Global HSE and GTS has a well-established reputation for delivering exceptional results in a highly niche, specialised and increasingly important field. Given the stringent requirements around fire safety, there is no margin for error, and a missed record or lack of clarity in inspection reports could have huge ramifications. That’s why we’ve invested in making our tools fit-for-purpose for accurate, compliant and easy to understand data collation fire reporting, specifically for fire professionals. It also ensures that ‘Golden Thread’ principles are being followed throughout, for greater fire safety compliance. “Global HSE’s confidence in our offering is a massive endorsement for PlanRadar’s relevance and efficacy. We look forward to collaborating with them going forward to deliver safe and secure commercial and residential environments.” The efficient secret GTS first became aware of PlanRadar’s digital solutions at FIREX 2022, where they immediately saw the potential for its platform to address an ongoing pain point within the business: The efficient creation and user-friendly presentation of fire surveys and inspection results. Furthermore, they realised the software could also tackle another persistent challenge faced by the business: recruiting enough highly-trained professionals to fill roles required. They saw PlanRadar’s suite of services as a way of streamlining the amount of resource existing staff spent on this important, but time-consuming activity. As Ross O’Loughlin, Head of Global Technical Services at HSE Global explains, “My main concern was how we could speed up our surveys without losing the value within the survey. I wanted to improve the working life of my staff. Reporting, writing, and collating information around a survey has always been a laborious task. If we can consolidate that in any way, it allows us to focus our energy on delivering our expertise.” Large-scale useability The team at GTS were particularly impressed by PlanRadar’s ability to record video and integrate BIM, which could support the division’s compliance requirements around the Building Safety Act and increased expectations for data collection in line with the Golden Thread of Information. Following initial discussion, the platform was tested in a real-world environment to see how the software performed on a project from start to finish. The test was based in a university in Northern England, where the surveying team were carrying out a fire damper inspection survey. With thousands of dampers to inspect, it was a daunting task requiring meticulous record-keeping. The team’s feedback was unanimously positive, with users highlighting how the platform significantly sped up reporting in an easy-to-use way, vindicating the decision to trial it. Better outcomes all-round Following the test, Global HSE and GTS decided to adopt PlanRadar’s platform, with the intention of rolling it out across all its inspection and surveying teams, providing them with an easy way to record and report. A previously arduous task has been made effortless, delivered in real-time as they walk through the building and record voice notes rather than having to stop and make notes on paper, or do lengthy follow-up work in the office. However, the platform’s potential goes further, as O’Loughlin concludes. “With GTS users already being onboarded, we’re exploring how PlanRadar could be used across other parts of the company,” he says. “From a business perspective, uploading as many documents, photos or jpegs at no extra cost is a massive win in comparison to competitors in this space. It’s an incredibly useful tool, and the opportunity we can gain from getting to grips with, and using, all its functions would significantly improve our day-to-day operations. Since introduction, PlanRadar has been brought onto over 20 GTS project, with the intention of using it as the standard reporting tool across the entire portfolio over the course of 2023. To find out more about Global HSE click here. To find out more about PlanRadar click here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are made under article 24(1) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (“the Fire Safety Order”), and came into force on the 23 January 2023. The regulations make it a legal requirement for responsible persons of a high-rise residential building to advise and inform Fire and Rescue services to assist them with planning a safe fire evacuation response and procedure. Why is the government introducing the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022? Following the Grenfell Tower Fire in June 2017, the government launched an Independent Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Their initial findings were published in October 2019, with recommendations that included legislative change. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will introduce the majority of the guidance from the inquiry. What do the new regulations cover? Regulation 3 defines what a “high-rise residential building” is and the importance when defining what is and what is not required. Regulations 4 to 8 enforce the duty of the responsible person (defined in article 3 of the Fire Safety Order) in relation to such high-rise residential buildings: Regulations 9 imposes obligations on the responsible persons to provide fire safety information to residents of the building. This includes but is not limited to instruction on what to do and who to call in cases of fire, and the evacuation strategy for the premises. Regulation 10 covers the requirements for fire doors in all residential buildings with communal areas and two or more sets of domestic premises. This regulation imposes strict and more frequent inspections of fire doors to be undertaken with particular emphasis on the flat front entrance doors. Regulation 11 requires certain information to be supplied to fire and rescue authorities to assist them to plan, and if needed provide an effective operational response. It is a requirement in law for responsible persons of high-rise residential premises to provide the information under all required regulations above. Regulations made under article 24 can impose requirements on responsible persons or others, including building owners/freeholders and building managers/agents, in relation to mitigating the risk to residents for specific premises. How can SOCOTEC support with ensuring compliance with Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022? Our expert team of fire consultants can provide you with the expertise, experience and knowledge to assist you in meeting your legal requirements as set out under these regulations. Want to find out more about SOCOTEC UK’s services? Contact us here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
M&Y Maintenance and Construction have completed an extensive Fire Safety Project on two five storey apartment blocks on Cheapside in Liverpool City Centre. M&Y were appointed by Redwing in October 2021, to complete works to improve the fire safety of the buildings, including works to the façade, roof, courtyard decking and balconies. The original timber cladding on both blocks was removed and replaced with new rendering. Remedial render coatings were also applied to the gable elevations to extend the life of the material. Decking on the courtyard, balconies and roof top garden terrace was removed and replaced with a mix of paving slabs and aluminium decking, further reducing fire risks and improving slip resistance. One roof was completely replaced, improving the thermal efficiency of the building, with new edge protection also installed. Together, these improvements should last for a minimum of 15-20 years with correct maintenance. To complete the project, the steel framed balconies, gable end elevations and an external wall were repainted. Internally, the lobbies of both blocks were also painted to give the building a fresh finish for its residents. Kevin Moses, M&Y Director of Operations said: “We’re so proud of M&Y’s growth into Fire Safety works. With the support of our experienced staff, we’ve been able to ensure the works at Cable Yard have been completed to the highest standards, leading to safe homes now and into the future. With another fire safety project already underway, we’re excited to continue to develop this workstream and offer fire risk assessment and follow up work to housing associations and local authorities across the North West.” Alex Andani, Executive Director of Property Asset Management at The Regenda Group said: “We’re pleased to have completed improvements to Cable Yard, leading to higher standards of fire safety throughout. We’d like to thank all of the residents for their patience and support while these works were carried out. We’re especially pleased with the work delivered by M&Y which is to an excellent standard.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Considerations for facility owners and operators… While it may seem counterintuitive that fire is even a risk in spaces designed to maintain cold temperatures, cold storage in fact presents a huge fire hazard for warehouse designers and builders, life safety installation companies and facility owners. In this article we cover the risks, considerations and best detection products when thinking about life safety for cold storage warehouses. In the last year, the UK’s cold storage industry capacity has topped 40 million cubic meters, for the football fans amongst you that is the equivalent to the bowl volume of 35 Wembley Stadiums. This is being driven by consumer demand and big business for perishable goods and pharmaceutics, making cold storage an essential cog in the UK economy. From a feasibility point of view however, cold storage is substantially more complicated and more expensive than dry storage because of the regulations around refrigerated freight. Plus, the very nature of the materials used in cold storage, means it presents a higher risk factor when it comes to fire. So as the demand for refrigerated products grows, so does the need for better fire safety. Why no two cold storage units are the same Cold storage areas vary in size, usage, and ambient temperature, meaning that any fire detection equipment or system must be specifically designed to each warehouse. You may be surprised at some of the products that may need cold storage. There are the obvious ones like perishable food (vegetables, fruits, meat and seafood, dairy products), but what about flowers and plants, biopharmaceutical products and did you know, even some artwork needs to be kept at low temperatures. Understanding the unique circumstances of the product is essential for cold storage fire safety. A bespoke fire risk assessment will determine the life safety system needed to maintain optimum fire security 24/7, protecting the goods, equipment and most importantly staff operating within the building, but this can be a complicated task to map out and assess for the responsible person. So, where to start? What are the fire risks in cold storage warehousing? Besides arson attacks and carelessness from people on site (think discarded cigarette butts), fire risks within cold storage mostly arise from electrical or mechanical faults in the conveyor systems which transport the goods around the building, wiring that is housed in the roof or faulty lighting systems. The fuels which power the evaporative condensers used to sustain the low temperatures in cold storage warehouses is highly flammable so must be stored safely, and the machines themselves can also be a major contributor to fire risk. These machines remove air moisture to extremely low levels of humidity to keep the warehouse cool, which can create an increased risk of static electricity and in the case of a fire could accelerate the spread of flames. Cold storage fires have the potential to be devasting, posing a threat to life, destroying business operations and be detrimental to the supply chain. Even small fires can cause huge damage to a refrigeration business – a rise in temperature due to cooling plant down-time following a fire, can lead to stock being damaged. The strict laws around downtime requirements make it even more important to choose the right method of fire protection. There are also considerations to be made around smoke damage, as any stock exposed to low levels of smoke over an extended period can quickly become contaminated and therefore not fit for human consumption. Of course, the issues are further compounded by the fact that modern technology now means that an increased number of warehouses are automated almost 24 hours a day, meaning very few or no personnel are on site. This makes visual identification of a fire incident unlikely, so the safety of the building is completely dependent on automatic fire detection systems – making it imperative that the system in place is up to date and well maintained. What can be done to prevent a cold storage warehouse fire? Dangerous scenarios are preventable when fire safety experts have been consulted, the correct life safety equipment is installed, the electrics and mechanical devices in use within the building are well serviced and the correct health and safety regulations are followed. Essential action when you consider preventable fires in the UK warehouse industry costs our economy upwards of £230 billion each year. A risk assessment, when carried out properly and thoroughly according to law (The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005), is the first place to start. It is also advisable to get an independent audit by a consultant or insurer as this will help ensure any fire strategy for your cold storage facility is robust. Many modern warehouses now include firewalls which are a cost-effective solution to manage the risk of fire. Smart warehouse managers should also consider the safe storage of waste and other flammable materials to stop the spread of fire if it were to break out. Keeping these materials in a designated safe storage area will reduce the risk of them causing a fire. The best way to save lives of course, is to ensure automatic fire detection is in place, across your entire cold storage facility. With special attention paid to vulnerable areas. Fire specialists can advise on multiple fire detection solutions that are ideal for warehouses, but it is important to ensure that the right one for your scenario is installed. Why air sampling fire detection is a good option for cold storage warehouses There are multiple fire detection systems that can be used to protect warehouse storage, but when it comes to cold storage, you need to plan and design appropriately. Beam detectors which are commonly used in large warehouses can frost over in a cold storage situation, there are options in the market now which include heated optical elements to negate this however they might not be a device to solely rely on. Point detectors would also frost over and wouldn’t necessarily provide the appropriate cover. Flame
General Air Products has partnered with Cortec® Corporation to develop a Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitor delivery system for corrosion mitigation of fire sprinkler systems. General Air Products calls this new Vapor Pipe Shield “A game-changing innovation in corrosion prevention technology for dry [and] pre-action fire sprinkler systems.” Cortec® is excited about the opportunity it opens for facility engineers and consulting engineers to apply the benefits of VpCI® Technology to critical fire suppression systems. A More Dependable Alternative to Nitrogen Purge The Vapor Pipe Shield is a convenient, more dependable alternative to nitrogen blanketing or dried air for protection of fire sprinklers against corrosion. It relies on Cortec® VpCI® Technology—Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors that create a protective molecular shield on the inside of the sprinkler piping system. No special equipment is required; the cartridge is compatible with standard sprinkler setups and is easy to install between the air compressor and the piping. Compressed air initially helps the Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors diffuse throughout all branches of the piping system to form an active layer of protection on metal surfaces. Since these Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors continue to protect as long as the system remains closed, corrosion mitigation does not depend on a constant source of electricity. That means a failed air compressor, nitrogen generator, or power source does not equal failed protection or require complete reapplication. Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors also protect in the presence of residual moisture and oxygen. Patenting, Testing, and Certification By drawing on its expertise in compressed air and nitrogen purge systems for fire sprinklers, General Air Products was able to bring to life the technology envisioned in one of Cortec’s latest patents. Vapor Pipe Shield technology follows one of the patent’s two recommendations for distributing Cortec® Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors throughout the system. General Air Products reported that preliminary testing of the Cortec® inhibitor treated sample showed better protection than samples treated with (1) nitrogen and (2) compressed ambient air. General Air Products also evaluated the speed of VpCI® vapor migration throughout a dry sprinkler piping system test rig and determined that full distribution and protection could be achieved within one week of installation. Further validation testing continues. Most recently, the product received UL certification for use in dry fire sprinkler systems, overcoming the last major hurdle to bring Cortec’s patented technology to market. A New Era for Fire Suppression Cortec’s collaboration with General Air Products culminates years of visionary R&D to bring time-tested technology to a market that stands to benefit in terms of cost, convenience, and effective protection. It is yet another step forward in what may become the next best trend in fire sprinkler protection. Contact Cortec® to learn more about this corrosion mitigation system, or to discuss other possible Cortec® Technology collaborations: https://www.cortecvci.com/contact-us/
Have you ever wondered why we charge what we do for our firestopping solutions? Stick with us and in this short article you will find out all about the Quelfire value proposition. Firstly, it is crucial to understand that our aim has never been to provide the cheapest products on the market, but to ensure the industry has high-quality, tested products alongside all the required support. With a robust testing programme, we have grown into a brand renowned for its scope of application within the construction industry, providing firestopping solutions for real-life scenarios, based on valued customer feedback and trends on the market. With an ever-growing library of tested details, this ensures that the industry has primary test evidence over engineering judgements. Therefore, the value lies in the cost of the tested system, not the cost of each individual product. We strongly believe that a building needs to be designed around tested details. To achieve this, we work in partnership with all parties involved in the design and management of the installation of firestopping systems to ensure they have all the tools and information to benefit them when making an informed decision about which solution to use, and how to install them. We also go above and beyond when educating the industry about the importance of fire safety and use every platform available to us; should it be panel discussions at exhibitions, CPD accredited webinars, or one-to-one consultations about early engagement in firestopping. So why is it worth paying for the more expensive products that come with all these benefits? Because the cost of not getting it right the first time around is far greater than choosing to work with a competent manufacturer that can support you with tested details and all the necessary technical support along the way. Any issues that come to light during the design and installation stage will inevitably cause extra costs and delays, extending the projected completion date. For example, if there is no tested solution at the design stage, you will need to go back and redesign; if products are installed incorrectly, these mistakes will have to be rectified; and if issues are found at the inspection stage, you’ll not only have to rethink the installation of the firestopping products, but the design of them, too. Ultimately, in worst case scenario, if errors are not identified during the final inspection stage and a fire breaks out when the building is already occupied, risking lives will be the price of cutting corners and not taking building safety seriously. Using the right product, with the suitable test evidence and guidance of the manufacturer will see firestopping designed and installed correctly. It may seem more expensive initially; however, money will be saved in the long run by choosing competency over cost and wanting to do it right the first time around. Let’s start prioritising life safety over cheaper products and money saved. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
We often talk about why the industry needs to embrace cultural change and what it can do to facilitate this change. But with this, it is easy to forget to recognise the steps that have already been made in the right direction. Therefore, we wanted to focus on some of the positive changes that have already taken place in the industry and to celebrate the successes of all parties, from architects to installers, in coming together with a newfound hunger to make a positive change to construction. Construction is a tough job. But it’s also a rewarding one. And there is plenty to be proud of! Although the Building Safety Act got off to a somewhat shaky start with the industry still trying to ‘cut corners’ and ‘game the system’, it is now starting to wake up and welcome the changes in legislation. The Building Safety Act is bringing much needed change to construction for example, the introduction of the Gateway regime and the Golden Thread of Information. The Gateways (1,2 & 3) work to make sure that fire safety is considered from the design and build stage through to the completion and occupation of a building. They essentially ensure that a building is compliant. The Gateways also help to form part of the Golden Thread which is both: In a similar way, the industry is seeing the introduction of schemes such as the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) and BSI Identify. The CCPI will help ‘organisations drive higher standards in the presentation of construction product information, prioritising building safety’. It is built around five acid tests concluding that product information must be accurate, up to date, accurate, accessible, and unambiguous. Further to this, BSI Identify also works to support the Golden Thread of Information by supporting ‘product identification and traceability in the Built Environment’. While legislation change, in some cases, forces people into doing the right thing, it has been great to see an increase in authentic talk around competency, trust and collaboration. For example, at London Build Expo, the UK’s leading construction show that took place in November 2022, most panel discussions on the fire safety stage had an overarching message of compliance and creating a safer future for residents of high-rise and multi-occupancy buildings. What is really enthusing is that the industry is not only talking about the need for these values, but taking action too. Firestopping is of a smaller value compared to other packages such as the M&E package. Therefore, historically, it was not considered until months after the start of a project which, as many tragedies have demonstrated, is far too late! However, in more recent years, there has been a shift in attitudes and practices when it comes to early engagement in firestopping. It is starting to be common, yet important, knowledge that firestopping needs to be considered as early as the design stage, ensuring that a building is built around the test evidence that is available. Individuals are now taking a more proactive approach by asking what do we want to build, how do we want to build it and what tested solutions are available. We have seen this through the influx of design meetings and increased interest in webinars, CPD and toolbox talk training. These are just some of the ways that the industry is showing that it is dedicated to fire safety and to doing it right the first time around. There has also been an increased demand for more educational content across the industry ranging from new tested detail information to how-to videos to longer, more in depth articles. We, as manufacturers and suppliers of passive fire protection, feel that with a little push from the Building Safety Act, as well as the strong desire within organisations to do the correct thing, the industry is now starting to actively utilise manufacturer’s guidance and technical support. The world of construction is changing, and it is time that we all take a closer look at what the future holds for us. This year may have felt challenging for those embracing change, but it has also shown us that the only way to succeed is to work together and collaborate, encouraging compliance and competency across all parties! By doing this, we are making a difference in the world, one building at a time. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
