Latest News

Building Safety Regulator case studies

Posted on by Vicki Cutler

The Building Safety Regulator has put together some case studies on residents’ engagement to help those who are likely to become Principal Accountable Persons, or organisations that support them.

The case studies include scenarios such as considering those with additional needs, blocks where multiple languages are spoken, and accessing harder to reach groups.

Download the document here.

The Building Safety Regulator share content designed to bring to life important detail and information about the new Building Safety Regime and will be publishing resources, including case studies, templates and toolkits, as well as shareable email banners, social graphics and factsheets, which can be downloaded and used by organisations.

The BSR is working with stakeholders and partners to understand what kind of resources would be most useful and content is currently under development.

Check their website regularly here: https://buildingsafety.campaign.gov.uk/making-buildings-safer/resources/

HSE update: New vital statistics for 2022/23

Posted on by Vicki Cutler

Each year HSE publishes a range of statistics relating to health and safety in Great Britain.

This new poster illustrates the key statistics as an infographic, which when displayed in a workplace, serves as a reminder to workers about the consequences of poor health and safety in priority risk areas.

The 2023 statistics show:

  • 1.8 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, of which:
    • 875,000 workers suffering work-related stress, depression or anxiety
    • 473,000 workers suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder
  • 2,268 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2021)
  • 135 workers killed in work-related accidents
  • 561,000 working people sustained an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey
  • 60,645 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
  • 35.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
  • £20.7 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2021/22).

For more information or to order posters, visit the HSE website.

 

E-bulletin: E-bikes & scooters

Posted on by Vicki Cutler

We’ve collated some information, news and useful guidance for safe charging of lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries have become widely used in society from small items such as mobile phones and tools to larger transport items such as electric bikes, e- scooters and electric vehicles (EVs), but they are also used for storage facilities for renewable energy.

When used properly, lithium-ion batteries are convenient and safe to use but batteries can present a fire risk when over-charged, short-circuited, or if they are damaged. Charging them safely is really important.

Download the e-bulletin here.

Gas Safety Week: Fighting for a Gas Safe Nation

Posted on by Vicki Cutler
Landlords legal responsibilities – Annual Gas Safety Checks

We are proud to be supporting Gas Safety Week 2023, taking place 11 – 17 September.

Gas Safety Week is an annual safety week to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of your gas appliances. It is coordinated by Gas Safe Register, the official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on gas.

Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a highly poisonous gas that can kill quickly with no warning, as you cannot see it, taste it, or smell it.

Landlords are legally responsible for the safety of their tenants. Landlords must make sure maintenance and annual safety checks on gas appliances are carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer to ensure their tenants and wider communities stay safe.

If you’re a landlord, you are legally obliged to make sure:

  • Gas pipework, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained in a safe condition.
  • All gas appliances and flues provided for tenants’ use have an annual safety check. Your tenants can report you to the HSE if you don’t provide one, so it’s important to remember! You can set a free email and/or text reminder so you don’t forget, visit StayGasSafe.co.uk.
  • A Gas Safety Record is provided to the tenant within 28 days of completing the check or to any new tenant before they move in.
  • You keep a copy of the Gas Safety Record until two further checks have taken place.
  • Maintenance and annual safety checks are carried out by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.
  • All gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or otherwise removed before re-letting.

Before any gas work is carried out always check the engineer is qualified to carry out the work that needs doing e.g., natural gas, domestic boiler. You can find this information on the Gas Safe Register website or by checking the back of the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. Encourage your tenants to also check the card when the engineer arrives at the property, and to be aware of any warning signs that their gas appliance is working incorrectly, such as dark or sooty staining, excess condensation, pilot lights which frequently blow out and and error messages on the appliance’s control panel

For more information and to find or check an engineer visit GasSafeRegister.co.uk.

LEIA Guidance Note: Checks and inspections of lifts for use by firefighters, evacuation lifts, and lifts with recall

Posted on by Vicki Cutler

The Lifts and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) have put together this really useful guidance covering ‘Checks and inspections of lifts for use by firefighters, evacuation lifts, and lifts with recall’

If you have a lift in your building you'll find this very useful as it provides practical advice for lift owners/ responsible persons, competent persons undertaking a thorough examination and calling for any supplementary tests, and lift maintenance providers.

Lift owners/ responsible persons might find this guidance of use in fulfilling their duties under regulations such as The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO), The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.

This guidance also includes details of checks to address the requirements of The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (FSER), Regulation 7, which came into force on 23 January 2023 in England. The FSER have been laid under article 24 of the Fire Safety Order and make it a legal requirement for the responsible person of a high-rise residential building (HRRB) to carry out monthly routine checks of lifts for use by firefighters and evacuation lifts.

Where the responsible person identifies any fault with a lift for use by firefighters or an evacuation lift, they must take steps to rectify the fault. Where a fault cannot be rectified within 24-hours, the responsible person must report the fault (and later when it has been rectified) to the local fire and rescue authority (Fire and Rescue Service – FRS).

The responsible person is required to record the outcome of checks in an open and transparent way that is also accessible to residents.

There’s also a section which helps you to identify the different lift types.

You can download the guide here – we hope you find it useful.

Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

Posted on by Vicki Cutler

On 23rd January 2023, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 were introduced under article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to implement the majority of those recommendations made to government in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report (and which required a change in the law).

These regulations will make it a requirement in law for responsible persons of high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to Fire and Rescue Services to assist them to plan and, if needed, provide an effective operational response.

In addition, the regulations will require responsible persons in multi-occupied residential buildings which are high-rise buildings (defined in The Fire Safety (England) Regulations as a building at least 18 metres in height or at least seven storeys) as well as those above 11 metres in height, to provide additional safety measures.

In all multi-occupied residential buildings, the regulations require responsible persons to provide residents with fire safety instructions and information on the importance of fire doors. The regulations apply to existing buildings, and requirements for new buildings may be different.

You can find the Government ‘overview’ factsheet here, as well as links to a range of other information.

** NEW for Scotland** Understanding Fire Doors and Carrying Out Inspections

Posted on by Vicki Cutler

We’ve done it again…  our new ‘one day’ Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM) accredited course which provides underpinning knowledge and understanding of fire doors for delegates operating in Scotland has been launched…

Our initial course was delivered by the exceptionally knowledgeable fire safety professional that is Tony Bolder with our Scottish fire safety professional, Ian Roberston, in attendance to ensure he was up to speed for future delivery North of the Border.

Both guys are ‘top notch’ fire safety professionals of the highest calibre, and both are included on the Warringtonfire Fire Risk Assessors Certification Scheme (FRACS) which offers UKAS accredited certification that certifies the competence of individuals (and companies) carrying out fire risk assessments.

This jam-packed one day face to face course kicked off by looking at fire dynamics and compartment fires before providing an overview of the role of a fire door in passive compartmentation and setting out the different specifications and individual components of fire doors.

We rounded off the day with an assessment exercise using our bespoke set of ‘mini fire’ doors before heading off to a multi-storey block to carry out some inspections on cross-corridor and flat entrance doors.

Our delegates received a detailed and comprehensive course book, gap tester and sample checklists – we think it went really well – here’s what a couple of them had to say after our first course, which ran on 27th October:

  • Very informative and Tony is extremely knowledgeable. The course workbook is excellent, and the course overall is well worth attending.

– David Adam, Director of Maintenance Services, Elderpark Housing

  • Really good course – I learned a lot of things that I wouldn’t have known if the course wasn’t undertaken. Really well presented by Tony.

 – Kenny Jarvis, Neighbourhood Team Leader, Maryhill Housing

Look out for details of our courses coming in 2023 … we will be holding some ‘public’ courses as well as offering the training on an in-house basis in your organisation if you have a number of colleagues to train – it works out really cost effective too!

Fire Safety in Construction (HSG168) – Revised Edition

Posted on by Louise

HSE has published a revised version of the publication Fire safety in construction (HSG168) about managing fire risks during construction projects.

Each year, fires on construction sites across Great Britain put the safety of workers and members of the public at risk.

This latest (third) edition of Fire safety in construction gives advice about eliminating or reducing fire risks during the design phase (where practicable), preventing fires from starting on construction sites, and ensuring people’s safety if they do.

It is aimed at all those involved in construction projects who procure, design, develop and manage construction sites, including clients and designers. It is relevant to all construction projects.

It should help you achieve good fire safety management and compliance with the fire safety requirements of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.

View the publication

HSE’s website has further fire-related information on:

The Legal Framework of Fire Safety Within England Relating to Residential Buildings

Posted on by Louise

Fire safety specialist Tony Bolder has produced this invaluable round-up of the legal framework of fire safety within England, relating to residential buildings.

The article covers:

  • The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order) 2005
  • The Fire Safety Act 2021
  • The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
  • PAS 9980
  • Building Safety Act 2022.

This concludes by looking at how the ‘responsible person’ and duty holders should be preparing for forthcoming changes.