HARDWARE & SECURITY
Building a safer future
Douglas Masterson , Technical Manager at the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers ( GAI ), discusses the new measures set out in the Building Safety Bill .
» FOLLOWING THE GRENFELL TOWER tragedy , Dame Judith Hackitt ’ s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety , ( the Hackitt report ) found that the regulatory system for high-rise and complex buildings was not fit for purpose . The UK government has committed to implementing the report ’ s recommendations , which include new measures in the Building Safety Bill such as additional changes to fire safety legislation in the Fire Safety Act 2021 .
Although the bill is limited to England , it is felt that the other devolved nations in the United Kingdom will adopt their own versions to tighten up on building safety requirements UK-wide .
While there are many aspects to this Bill , the following are some elements which are most relevant to those operating in the construction products sector .
New construction products regime
The Building Safety Bill will create powers to strengthen the regulation of construction products placed on the UK market . This will introduce new rules stating that construction products need to be safe , in a policy like the one for consumer products . UK Government will also create new ‘ safety critical ’ requirements for products that may cause death or serious injury , should they fail . Manufacturers will be required to declare their performance , put in place production controls to ensure products consistently perform in line with this declaration and to correct , withdraw and recall products that don ’ t comply . This is of huge importance to our industry as these products will be treated in a similar manner to those under the scope of existing harmonised standards , requiring third party testing and conformity marking .
GAI has polled its members to see which items they feel should be deemed as safety critical products . The list will be forwarded to UK Government and other bodies , such as CPA and BSI , in due course .
‘ GAI is proud to play its part by contributing greatly as representatives of the construction product sector in a number of key areas ’
Competence An increase in levels of competence across the sector will also be at the heart of the Bill . In addition to the publication of the new British Standard Flex 8670 , BSI is in the process of creating new standards which will hugely impact three key roles – Principal Designer ( PAS 8671 ), Principal Contractor ( PAS 8672 ) and Building Safety Manager ( PAS 8673 ). GAI is directly involved in the creation and review of each of these standards .
GAI is also involved in several steering groups focussed on improving the competency of wider construction professionals specifying building products . The GAI ’ s most recent appointment in this area is to a sub-committee of the Interim Industry Competence Committee
( IICC ), which has been set up to provide strategic leadership and oversight of the industry ’ s work to facilitate improvement of competence in the built environment sector . The role of this sub-committee will be to establish a baseline for competence through research of existing industry schemes and providing a gap analysis thereof to HSE .
Golden Thread of information The Bill will require those designing and constructing higher-risk buildings to develop a golden thread of information . This will be to ensure the information is accessible , accurate , up to date , transferable , secure and has longevity . The usage of Building Information Management ( BIM ) can be seen as a way of assisting in this process .
GAI has created 35 BIM Product Data Templates ( PDTs ) for door hardware and seals for members which will assist manufacturers to create their own Product Data Sheets , and therefore assist with the provision of structured data for this process . In addition to this , the GAI holds the position of chair of the shadow BIM Fenestration Relevant Authority who are working on several other sector PDTs including doorsets ( which will be going through consultation process imminently ) and window hardware , working jointly with Glass and Glazing Federation .
Timeline The Building Safety Bill was published on 5th July 2021 , and at the time of writing is at Committee stage in the House of Lords . There are still several stages to go before Royal Assent , but it is anticipated that this will be during 2022 .
The Building Safety Bill will have huge repercussions on the construction industry and not just in England , but throughout the UK . GAI is proud to play its part by contributing greatly as representatives of the construction product sector in a number of key areas .
www . gai . org . uk
16
MAR / APR 2022
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