ASCP UK’s Post

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) launches a campaign for residents of high-rise buildings... Last week the BSR launched ‘Your Home, Your Safety’ a campaign to inform residents of high-rise buildings (HRBs) in England about their new rights. This first step to directly engage residents in the new building safety regime aims to: - empower residents with knowledge about their new rights - reassure residents that fire and structural safety risks in their buildings are being properly managed Find out more in their press release. Link in Comments If you are a resident in a HRB visit our ‘Your Home, Your Safety’ campaign page to find out more. Link in comments. #safety #healthandsafety #firesafety #iosh

Priming this long thread is report of another family trapped by the #BuildingSafetyCrisis 1/2 Another who cant afford spiralling service charges doubling to £6,200pa in the case posted Sadly many are failed by post #Grenfell responses Reports of people walking away with massive losses, declaring bankruptcy & experiencing mental health stressors or worse In 2017 @FireX was invited to appear on the Grenfell expert panel & to chair the close out session The session was unexpected pulled by a fire sector leadership group saying: “we’ve said all their is to say on #Grenfell” Even offered to step aside, focus panel on the trade show highlights, quietly reflect on Grenfell & pay respects, to survey attendees on 5 strategic post Grenfell priorities to take to 10 Downing St & then PM May Upon return in 2018 I again begged one sector leader to rally the leadership to speak out in the public interest - response: “Why rock the boat, business is better than ever” In May 2018 live on @itvnews & following kind invite by @RagsMartel to comment, referred to the Hackett Building a Safer Future - final report as: “a cherry pick, wish list - which fails to understand the construction sector & may well prove cost prohibitive to implement” In 2019 when representing one London Local Authority - warned @londoncouncils @LGAcomms et al: “the building safety act (BSA) economic impact assessments has underestimated the projected administration cost burden” Estimated circa £50,000 per building safety case Across a large social housing portfolio this would run to tens of millions pounds + reoccurring costs in maintain the case & safety level 2020 BSA impact assessment https://lnkd.in/e2fUzk9d Read also the parallel 2022 Fire Safety Act (FSA) & Regs Assessment https://lnkd.in/enj3x6Tg Plus 2022 consultation on building safety directors - later pulled from BSA due to campaign group + supporting political push back https://lnkd.in/eG6tUjGK Again dared to say the impact assessment played down the costs or naively & grossly underestimating the direct & indirect impact https://lnkd.in/ebxdjX3N

Diolch to Welsh Government for their webinar yesterday on the implementation of the Building Safety Act in Wales … clearly a different scale of issue to that in England, but non the less an important one! Remember, there are differences between the ‘regime’ in England and Wales #consistentcollaborativecompliance #buildingsafetyact #bsr #cymru #bsr #buildingsafety

Our Digital Noticeboards were recently installed in one of Citizen Housing Group’s Coventry buildings 🏢 The new Building Safety Act 2022 requires property managers and landlords of high-risk buildings over 18 metres to improve communication with residents and tenants. By using engagement strategies and block engagement agreements, they ensure compliance, fostering a culture of safety and peace of mind for residents and tenants🛡️ That’s where our Digital Noticeboard steps in to replace the traditional, static board to provide residents with more information and value. Adam Briggs BSc, MIFSM, AIFireE, Head of Fire Safety & HRBs (High-Risk Buildings), reviewed our Digital Noticeboards; watch the video to see what he had to say 🎥 #Intratone #DigitalNoticeboard #PropertyManagement #BuildingSafety 

Build a Safer Future with My Building Safety No sign-up required by your residents! Easily upload and share crucial safety documents, align with safety laws, and promote transparency and trust across your business. Some of the benefits of MBS: 🔹 Residents' voices can be heard and concerns addressed, they can play an active role in building safety 🔹 You can better inform your residents 🔹 Drive cultural change, rebuild trust, and enhance feelings of safety Check out the 12-month progress by Dame Judith Hackett: https://ow.ly/wh7U50Sp4xK 📅 Book a demo today and see MBS in action: https://lnkd.in/dqhm9N6N #BuildingSafety #MBS #Transparency #Trust #SafetyFirst #PropertyManagement

What is the new Building Safety Act all about? The new building safety regulation regime, which becomes fully enforceable later this year, is a major part of the response to the failings exposed by the Grenfell Tower fire. It establishes a legal framework for building safety in England, with a particular focus on high-rise residential buildings. Parts also apply in the devolved nations. In England, all such higher-risk buildings must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator. The new regime creates a responsibility to prove that the fire and structural risks of every high-rise building have been assessed, by someone competent to do so, and that risks have been mitigated. The onus is on housing developers and providers to prove compliance to the Building Safety Regulator. Before any plan for a new high-rise building can be progressed, the safety of the scheme must be assessed. Once a building is occupied, a safety case report must be prepared – and updated as appropriate as new risks, or new ways of mitigating those risks, emerge. A report must also be created for all existing buildings. The case must be easily accessible and understandable to residents. It must form part of a broader resident engagement strategy and, again, social landlords will need to prove they have such a strategy. Taken together, the regime aims to ensure that a tragedy like Grenfell can never happen again. It aims to ensure that residents are not only safe in their homes, but that they feel safe in their homes. How effective do you think the new Building Safety Act will be? #costreduction #procurement #accountancy #business #icaew #nonexecutivedirector #ned

Building & Fire Safety Update! The GOV.UK has just released its Remediation Acceleration Plan, committing to repairing all dangerous cladding in buildings by 2029. Dr. Benjamin Ralph, Head of Building and Fire Safety, shares his expert insights in Building Magazine, highlighting the positive progress in cladding remediation. While this progress is encouraging, he emphasises the critical need for further skills and increased funding to meet this ambitious deadline. Read the full piece: https://lnkd.in/eAJmfNhY

New FREE upcoming webinar! ‘𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 (𝗛𝗛𝗦𝗥𝗦) 𝟭𝟬𝟭’ will be hosted live on Wednesday 17th April at 12pm.    The housing sector has seen a spotlight on the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) in recent years, with increased scrutiny on organisations’ compliance. It’s crucial that you understand the fundamentals of the HHSRS to manage and mitigate hazards in your buildings.     Enforced by the Housing Act 2004, local authorities have a legal requirement to identify hazards and assess potential risks to the health and safety of tenants. The HHSRS, assessing assets against 29 different hazards, is a vital tool in keeping your buildings complaint and tenants safe.    In this webinar, our experts will discuss:  ▶ What the HHSRS means for housing providers    ▶ The importance of complying with the HHSRS    ▶ How the upcoming HHSRS review will change your approach to managing hazards  ▶ Awaab’s Law following the conclusion of its consultation in March   ▶ Lessons learnt from working with organisations on their HHSRS compliance      To discover everything you need to know about the HHSRS, register for free here. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eqFy_BKb   #HHSRS #HousingHealthAndSafetyRatingSystem #Webinar #AwaabsLaw #Hazards #UKHousing  

As a leader, you have a choice to do things differently. The long-awaited Grenfell Tower Inquiry report was released last week. The report starkly revealed systemic and ethical failures across our public services and the industries that serve it. I took some time to digest and reflect. It was difficult reading - horrifying reading, as you’d expect of a report from an inquiry investigating the deaths of 72 people. I was elected as a Councillor in Southwark in 2014 when the investigations into the Lakanal House fire were still ongoing. Many of the issues identified during the Lakanal investigations, were sadly also issues at Grenfell - flammble cladding and a ‘stay put’ policy for residents are two examples. As the Prime Minister stated last week, Grenfell was caused by failures across our #publicservices - in #centralgovernment and #localgovernment as well as with private companies that work with the #publicsector. Issues identified included 1. Regulatory failures: Fragmented oversight and inadequate building regulations created a dangerous environment. 2. Fire service shortcomings: Poor training, communication issues, and outdated practices such as ‘stay put’ hampered the emergency response. 3. Local government failings: Inadequate emergency planning and response left victims without proper support after the fire. 4. Construction industry malpractice: Dishonest marketing of unsafe materials and a culture prioritising profit over safety. Whilst the report highlights the need for: 1. Integrated, robust regulatory frameworks across sectors 2. Urgent reform of fire and rescue services, including training and equipment 3. Overhaul of local authority emergency planning and response capabilities 4. Creation of a new construction regulator with broad powers My key reflection though was that the failings were driven by culture and leadership - across and within organisations. New laws and processes might give us some reassurance but those cannot succeed if you, as a leader are not brave enough to call out when you see things that are wrong. This extends beyond housing, into #healthcare, #policing - across most of our public services in fact. What’s the commitment you will make as a leader to doing things differently? Sam Shah Hassan Chaudhury HonFAPM Pilar Fernandez Hermida Liam Cahill Chris Brown Philippe GERWILL

Interesting piece in The Times highlighting the serious flaws in Labour’s Remediation Acceleration Plan.   The Government’s new five-year target to remediate buildings will inevitably be missed as developers and product manufacturers prioritise profits over the safety of residents. The plan also fails to fix the various regulatory inconsistencies, funding gaps and delays caused by the Building Safety Regulator.   The RFA is clear that the Government must rethink its approach. We stand ready to work with MHCLG and other industry stakeholders to deliver a regime which works for residents across the UK.   https://lnkd.in/epgySi49