DAMAGE MANAGEMENT
Do Standards Matter?
The BDMA give us the inside scoop on the latest British Standard in damage management, due to be published by the end of the year, as it hopes to provide extra information and guidance to cleaning professionals.
Cleaning professionals will naturally encounter a wide range of scenarios, some of which present very specific challenges. Although thousands of practitioners carry out generic cleaning activity on a daily basis in line with industry best practice, there will be times when additional guidance related to particular situations and incidents is needed.
When dealing with property damage incidents, for example, where the cleaning element may require broader awareness of the overall project scope of works and damage management principles, the relevant guidelines or standards can be invaluable.
A brand new British Standard, BS 12999 – Damage management – Stabilisation, mitigation and restoration of properties, contents, facilities and assets following incident damage, is currently in the final stages of development. Due to be published by the end of this year, the document will provide information and guidance relevant to a wide ranging audience, and will be a useful addition to the existing standards and documentation available to cleaning professionals.
BS 12999 focuses on the generic processes which should be followed ‘to facilitate the restoration, reinstatement and future integrity of public, commercial or domestic property, contents, facilities and assets, in the event of an incident that causes damage’. Escape of water, flood and fire are among the most common incidents requiring the attention of damage management and cleaning industry professionals but the principles of a structured
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approach to dealing with other types of damage will be the same.
While BS 12999 identifies processes applicable to a range of incident types, it should be noted this standard does not advocate specific technologies or methodologies but provides a framework for the project delivery. It is intended to allow damage management practitioners, and others involved in dealing with the aftermath of such incidents, to work to a common code of practice from the point where the incident is notified to completion of restoration activity and hand over to the incident principle or third parties undertaking subsequent reinstatement work.
A number of key stakeholders have been involved in the development of BS 12999, ensuring the published document is recognised and supported by the sectors that may have direct involvement or interest in incidents of this nature. These include, for example, insurers, loss adjusters, brokers, emergency planning officers, local authorities, risk managers, the Environment Agency and some government departments.
In addition to providing a template for practitioners, therefore, BS 12999 also enables stakeholders and interested parties, including property owners, to identify, understand and follow the processes involved during the stabilisation and restoration of an affected property.
As well as the new British Standard, there are other documents available that can assist the cleaning professional to identify procedures appropriate to these kinds of
incidents. These include the BDMA Standards – Guidelines relating to the protocols and procedures for dealing with incidents or perils that damage properties; PAS 64:2013 – Mitigation and recovery of water damaged buildings; BDMA information Leaflet – Understanding Basic Flood Recovery Procedures, all of which will be of use to practitioners engaged in property restoration activity.
Industries today are encouraged to work towards improving the customer experience, utilise new technologies and deliver increasingly cost effective outcomes, so access to tools such as recognised best practice guidelines and standards can only enhance our ability to demonstrate competence and meet ever growing expectations.
It is hoped BS 12999 will be available at the BDMA’s biennial Conference, taking place on 25-26 November in Stratford upon Avon, where there will be an opportunity to hear about this and other industry developments. The programme will include workshops and seminars as well as key speakers from a range of sectors, along with a major exhibition at which a variety of cleaning equipment will be showcased.
www.bdma.org.uk
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