Building Safety Hub
Supporting building and fire safety excellence in tall residential buildings in England
Latest
-
The chair of a cross-party committee of MPs has written to the Housing Minister to request an update on the government’s assessment of risk from Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in residential buildings.
In his letter, Clive Betts, chair of the levelling up, housing and communities committee, asked Lee Rowley what the department’s current assessment of RAAC risk is in both residential and non-domestic buildings.
This was one of several questions, including a request for details of the latets gudiance to local authorities, information about the funding avaulable for RAA risk mitigation and for an update on what the government is doing to identiy and mitigate risks.
Betts said that given the “urgency of these matters” he would like a response before parliment’s recess on Tuesday.
Betts said: “There are well-publicised concerns about the use of RAAC in public buildings such as schools and hospitals but there is also concern about the use of RAAC in housing.
“It’s important the government spells out its assessment of the risk in residential buildings, in social housing and local authorities’ estates and what guidance it is giving to residents and landlords on the risk of RAAC.”
- Structural Safety
- RAAC
-
All high-rise residential buildings must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) by the 1 October 2023.
The Building Safety Regulator will be holding clinics to help anyone who has started an application but hasn’t yet completed it.
At the clinics you will join a small group of other Accountable or Principle Accountable Persons. You can ask an expert on the registration process any questions you might have and get practical help to complete your registration.
You can register to join one of these sessions by selecting the surgery you wish to attend and providing your contact details.
There will be 32 clinics in total leading up to 30th September.
- Building Safety Regulator
- Registration & KBI
-
DLUHC has published guidance to explain what responsible persons need to do as a result of changes made to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (‘the Fire Safety Order’) through the Building Safety Act 2022. You are advised to check whether you are a responsible person.
The guidance is for people who have responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which has been amended by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act.
Use this guide to understand what new responsibilities you have for fire safety when they come into force on 1 October 2023.
The guide has been published by the Secretary of State under Article 50 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) to assist responsible persons in meeting their duties under the FSO.
- Building Safety Act
- Section 156 - Fire Safety Regulations
-
The Health and Safety Executive has appointed Andrew Bulmer as a member of its newly created Industry Competence Committee (ICC), with its first meeting to be held in September.
The Committee, formed by a requirement of the Building Safety Act 2022, will have a role in advising both the built environment industry and the Building Safety Regulator within HSE on matters of competence.
The committee will support the work of the Building Safety Regulator by providing insights and guidance to facilitate an improvement of competence across industry.
Read Andrew’s thoughts on his appointment and see the other members of the Committee.
- Building Safety Regulator
- Regulations and Guidance
-
The extent to which Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) is present in residential buildings and the risk levels presented is currently unclear, and we appreciate that media coverage, conflicting reports and misinformation may be leading to questions and concerns from clients and residents alike. RAAC is a form of lightweight concrete sometimes referred to as panels. It was used primarily in roof planks of some public buildings built between the mid-1950s and mid-1990s.
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) in conjunction with the Cabinet Office and other government departments have set up the RAAC Industry Response Group. The group met up for the first time on Thursday 7th September) and over the coming weeks will investigating scale and risks and developing further guidance. The Property Institute and our sector is represented on the group by Mark Snelling, our health, safety and fire consultant.
Whilst further investigation is carried out into the scale and risks, and guidance for the residential sector is developed, The Property Institute is engaging with technical colleagues and industry peers to help shape guidance specifically for managing agents, landlords and residents, which we will share with you as soon as any is available, particularly in relation to high-rise buildings and the Building Safety Act 2022.
Please ensure that, if you are undertaking any investigate or survey work, you seek advice to ensure that such costs incurred are reasonable and proportionate.
- Structural Safety
- RAAC