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Enhancing Fire Safety in Social Housing
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fire safety saves lives. Lakanal House, Grenfell; every death demonstrates the severe potential of failure. Still, as late as 2022, the Home Office recorded 321 fire-related deaths in
Great Britain. While an improvement across decades – falling below 400 for the very first time in 2011/12 – lives remain at stake from largely preventable risk. Whitehall has not ignored the problem entirely, and the majority of the
housing professionals responding to a recent research project undertaken by Housing Management & Maintenance are experiencing its changes to the regulatory framework day to day. Despite an increased uptake in these changes, however, a minority continue to report failings in their own stock, as they have done year on year. Of those that believed the relevant change applied to their stock, in 2024 20%
were yet to check fire doors to communal areas every three months, 30% were not carrying out monthly checks on fire equipment and liſts, and 27% were recently working on buildings they believed to be unsafe because of the cladding installed on them. Helping to form a picture of why these issues persist are the responses from
400 housing professionals across four years, an average of 80% at manager level or above, representing stock from a few houses to thousands (two thirds with over 50).
Revealing a broad mood in the UK housing sector since 2021, at least
one in five across all years said they partially understand fire regulations at best, and an average of one in ten had been put in a position where it would be uncomfortable for them to report issues of fire safety to a superior or relevant authority.
A VARIED FRAMEWORK Fire safety in the UK is governed by a varied and evolving framework, with rules differing pre, during and post construction, between different heights and occupancy rates, and, as a devolved matter, between administrations. Tough requirements during construction are similar across the UK, there
is no equivalent of a ‘responsible person’ in Scotland and Northern Ireland, for example, and certain laws apply only to houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) with at least three tenants who share facilities. Tis study focuses largely on the rules in England, during the design and
construction of a home, requirements for the fire safety of buildings are set by the Building Act 1984 and the Building Regulations 2010. Tese laws are intended to ensure that all new buildings are designed and constructed to limit the spread of fire and to help occupants escape in the event of a fire. Once the property is occupied, the building’s owner or manager becomes this ‘responsible person’ under the Fire Safety Order 2005 – applying only
It has been reported that many housing professionals at some point in their career have been put in a position where it would be uncomfortable to report fire safety issues or malpractice to a superior or relevant authority, or that their voices would not be heard in the matter. Which of the following options best suits your experience of this?
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMMAugust/September 2024 | 25
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