Current affairs


promptly identify issues as they arise, determine solutions and implement them, finally reviewing and updating programme and costs. From a client perspective, they will choose


to allocate the risk (the contractor is responsible for any costs and for any additional ones associated with ground); share the risk (the contractor operates within parameters fixed by the geotechnical baseline report or other allocating tool); or retain and manage the risk by investigating, procuring design independently, and paying for works on a rate basis.


Water risk


Management of water is a major consideration and the potential impact may vary according to the type of project. Water risk is not subject to the same regulation as fire risk or other safety issues. Causes of water damage include traditional


flooding, overflowing toilets and leaking taps. While ground water is constantly present, changes occur in the water table, tides etc. If water penetration occurs during construction, the envelope may not be completed as expected. Where water is deliberately introduced via building services, the conduits may not be working well. Water needs removing immediately from


the works area. There could be structural damage, damage to the construction eg plaster, internal works and/or soft furnishings, and there may also be contamination. The schedule could be disrupted, significant cleaning/recovery work and damage repair may be needed and there may also be delays in completion. From a client’s perspective, escape of water can cause damage to completed works and works in progress on occupied floors and in existing property and equipment; disruption to operations work schedules; distraction to the project team; and commercial confrontations, eg over delayed payments. Mitigating measures range from choice of building services,fittings and systems to proactive management striving for continuous improvement. UK construction profit margins are very slim (1-2% of contract value), so areas for reduction in time, material or labour costs are welcome, but this can bring other risks – numerous systems, each requiring training, extended supply chains and a transient labour supply with limited incentive to improve performance. Two successful projects with no insurance


claims were firstly a £99m, 12 storey commercial block completed by a main contractor using a dedicated commissioning manager and team; a formal five stage commissioning protocol; forward planning; no out of hours activity; system status tracked to individual components; system isolations; and weather protection, allowing


FOCUS


follow on work. In the second project, the main contractor of a £21.6m residential tower block mitigated the risks of a jointing system and subjected water systems to a pressure test regime. Examples of bad practice included basements with critical plant placed on the floor; combined service risers; untrained operatives for specialist jointing systems; compressed time schedules with minimal time for testing and commissioning; lack of seasonal considerations, eg frozen pipes; a poor quality regime; and high level unbunded tanks.


Best practice guidance Mr Allan recommended the following best practice guides for construction and civil projects: Joint Code of Practice for Risk Management of Tunnel Works in the UK; Joint Code of Practice for Prevention of Fire on Construction Sites; CIREG Water Damage Guidance Note; BS 5975 for temporary works; Risk Analysis and Management for Projects 2005; ISO 31000: Risk Management Principles and Guidelines 2009; and project reviews T5, ODA, CTRL, etc. His top five actions? A clear project brief and


objectives; individual parties’ appropriate contract conditions (consider the project, construction environment and potential for change); risks identified and allocated to those best placed to manage them; clear and unambiguous reporting lines; and risks regularly tracked and assessed


William Roszczyk is editor and Jan Wassall is production editor of Fire & Risk Management. For more information, view page 5


www.frmjournal.com OCTOBER 2018 51


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