20
COMMENT
All those responsible for building design, construction, and maintenance, will be expected to implement systems that ensure compliance, as the golden thread has become a mandatory aspect of the Building Safety Act
the newly appointed Building Safety Regulator, and encompasses Regulation 38, which can hold not only organisations to account, but individuals too. In fact, any person responsible can be held liable retrospectively for up to 30 years since a build, and 15 years prospectively.
In order to avoid liability issues, the principal contractor and designer will be under obligation to report anything that could present a risk of death or serious injury to the Building Safety Regulator when working on any build. These disclosures will offer protection for that individual from criminal proceedings but failure to ‘whistle blow’ potential hazards during the design and construction phases could be a criminal offence. The Building Safety Act places a duty on the people responsible for buildings to put in place and maintain a golden thread that is accurate, accessible and up-to-date. During the build phase, these individuals are known as ‘duty holders.’ This responsibility may fall to either the principal designer, the principal contractor or the client. Failure to adhere to the applicable Building Regulations can result in prosecution for this individual.
The golden thread is also particularly important when working on higher risk buildings, as the duty holder must ensure the receipt of a completion certificate ahead of occupation for these builds. A completion certificate signifies that the building is compliant with building regulation and is safe. The information collated to satisfy golden thread requirements will be significant when collating the evidence of compliance and therefore completion in accordance with approvals.
Looking ahead
Many elements of the latest updates to the Building Safety Act have already become standard practice across some of the industry, however in terms of it being a mandatory requirement for all there is still work to be done.
It should be viewed as an opportunity for the industry to come together. For the implementation to be a success, solid communication strategies are crucial for ensuring all stakeholders are aware of their responsibilities when it comes to maintaining the golden thread.
All disciplines need to collaborate closely to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding documentation requirements. The best way to ensure building safety, and therefore compliance, is to collaborate with the full supply chain early on in a project – ensure adequate data, scrutinise specifications, and highlight any elements of a specification that could be problematic in future. By doing so, we can make sure our products and buildings are safe.
Dean Asher is head of technical services at Polypipe Building Products
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
