Building safety (and consequently people safety) is of paramount importance. Throughout all stages of a building’s lifestyle, from the initial architecture to development and maintenance, it is crucial to ensure that the risk to tenants is minimised, whether this be from fire or other health hazards such as asbestos. The UK Government and housebuilders have made great strides in prioritising the urgent reform of the regulatory system for buildings, but are we doing all we can?
Building safety can take many forms and it is important for this to be at the top of the agenda when developing new homes and managing assets.
Earlier this month, it was reported by Inside Housing that more than 40 people were treated by ambulance crews following a fire at a development in East London that has the same type of cladding as Grenfell Tower. This came just a week after a South London housing association block was evacuated following a cladding fire that damaged two properties. In this instance, fortunately, the building’s fire management systems worked as planned and prevented significant damage to the main structure or to residents, a testament to effective precautions being put in place.
With over 37,000 house fires alone reported each year in the UK, it is clear that being compliant is not enough when it comes to ensuring your homes are fit for purpose and maximising safety measures will be to the benefit of all involved.
The Government has so far allocated around £5bn to fix dangerous cladding on buildings above 18 metres in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. However, The National Housing Federation reports that more can be done, stating that social housing providers should “have full and equal access” to the Government’s Building Safety Fund as currently housing associations can only apply to cover costs that would otherwise be passed on to leaseholders, which means they cannot access funding for remedial work in properties where tenants live.
We are now almost four years on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy and it is clear that as a sector, we need to maintain focus on the important message that it is going to take a collective approach and a key step-change in housebuilding and asset management programmes in order to minimise further risk.
How can CHIC Help
Landlords need to make sure that customers are safe and warm. CHIC has a suite of cost-effective Building Safety procurement solutions to help you feel confident in your asset management and development programmes.
CHIC has procured a range of contracts and frameworks to offer ready-to-use services from trusted specialist providers. CHIC’s building safety services span asbestos management and removal, door entry systems, drainage, and insulation. We cover fire safety and gas safety, water hygiene and electrical testing. We also have a range of DPS solutions where suppliers can onboard at any time.
We are supporting this month’s edition of Inside Housing, which is focused on Building Safety. You can find our contribution HERE
If you would like to find out more, please get in touch at enquries@chicltd.co.uk
