INDUSTRY VIEWFINDER Revisiting fire safety
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fires can pose a deadly threat in any home, and sadly, households among the social and private rental sectors have suffered particularly strongly under its presence. Last year, Housing, Management & Maintenance magazine conducted
a research initiative of its readers – made up of UK landlords and housing professionals – to find out the most common causes of fire risk in their housing stock, and the barriers they have faced in addressing them. Tis study revealed a significant level of risk among our reader’s properties
– with respondents reporting lengthy delays in addressing potentially lethal fire risk assessments, a shocking number who had been put in a position where it would be uncomfortable to report safety issues to a superior, and some respondents losing trust in product manufacturers post-Grenfell. Since then, however, in response to the Hackitt Inquiry of the Grenfell Tower
disaster, Te Building Safety Act has come into force. Introducing sweeping changes to the way residential buildings are both built and maintained, it is hoped by many that the legislation will help prevent any further such tragedies from occurring and bring about a shiſt change in the industry. Considering this, this research study aims to find out if – a year on – our
readership believe the sector has improved when it comes to fire safety, and how the legislative changes have impacted their businesses. Fortunately, these moves appear to have been successful so far, with fire
This study revealed a significant level of risk among our reader’s properties – with respondents reporting lengthy delays in addressing potentially lethal fire risk assessments
risk having lowered among our respondents’ stock in the last year – an overall improvement being shown in both response times and failed assessments, as well as an increased understanding of fire safety regulations. As this white paper will reveal, for example, when asked how oſten fire assessments were undertaken on each property under their remit, there was a month and a half improvement on last year, with a 12% rise on pass rates. Tere were some less positive statistics however, with a 17% rise in
respondents who currently feel uncomfortable reporting on issues of fire safety to a superior or relevant authority – despite our statistics showing both an overall drop in those who had ever experienced this, as well as the vast majority of our respondents reporting an increased accountability among housing professionals since the Building Safety Bill’s introduction.
“How often do you or your association/organisation conduct fire risk assessments on each property under your company’s remit?”
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMMAugust/September 2022 | 27
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