FM News

The quality and consistency of building information

Katie Cornhill, Tactical Fire Officer and Silver Commander

Fire Safety information is an important element of the contents that must be included in the health and safety file and it should be comprehensible in nature.
On occupation, The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the FSO) applies and requires that the responsible person must ensure that duties imposed by articles 8 to 22 (Fire Safety Duties), or by regulations made under article 24 (and Article 38) of the FSO is complied with in respect of those premises so far as the requirements relate to matters within their control.
BIM methodology if applied correctly, enables a digital based comprehensive understanding by duty holders and responsible person(s) and secures a common operating picture (particularly during occupation) resulting from key inputs about the passive, active and managerial (including systematic) preventive and protective measures in relation to the full lifecycle of the built environment.
If the correct and required methodical approach is taken by duty holders so that requirements, responsibilities, and accountabilities of the CDM Regs, Building Regs, FSO and Employees Capabilities Regs are met and effective passive measures secured, then this is still the best approach.
It is important to recognise that the outcome of the Fire Safety Bill and the new Building Safety Regulator is not to achieve new building and fire safety passive and active fire safety measures per say. Rather the intention is to strengthen and place beyond doubt ownership, responsibility, and accountability for fire and building safety components that have been required for years.
Greater stakeholder knowledge of any given premises is key to ensuring the safe use of a building for as long a term as possible.

Building owners could face unlimited fines

Unlimited fines for those who breach fire safety regulations

improve the quality of fire risk assessments and competence of those who complete them
ensure vital fire safety information is preserved over the lifespan of all regulated buildings
improve cooperation and coordination amongst people responsible for fire safety and making it easier to identify who they are
strengthen enforcement action, with anyone impersonating or obstructing a fire inspector facing unlimited fines
strengthen guidance issued under the Fire Safety Order so that failure to follow it may be considered in court proceedings as evidence of a breach or of compliance
improve the engagement between Building Control Bodies and Fire Authorities in reviewing plans for building work
require all new flats above 11 metres tall to install premises information boxes

5 legally binding principles will guide future policymaking

The landmark Environment Bill

The integration principle is the principle which states that policy-makers should look for opportunities to embed environmental protection in other fields of policy that have impacts on the environment.
The prevention principle means that government policy should aim to prevent, reduce or mitigate harm.
The rectification at source principle means that if damage to the environment cannot be prevented it should be tackled at its origin.
The polluter pays principle is the principle that those who cause pollution or damage to the environment should be responsible for mitigation or compensation.
The precautionary principle states that where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, a lack of scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.

£30 million investment to provide Changing Places toilet

Changing Places Toilets

Part M (Access to and Use of Buildings) of the Building Regulations sets minimum access standards for all new buildings. These requirements are supported by statutory guidance in Approved Document M.
The Equality Act 2010 requires providers of goods, facilities and services to members of the public (i.e. shops and offices) to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings.
BS 8300-2: 2018 Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment. Buildings. Code of practice
Changing Places toilets should be provided in buildings and complexes such as:

major transport termini or interchanges, e.g. large railway stations and airports;
motorway services;
sport and leisure facilities, including large hotels;
cultural centres, e.g. museums, concert halls and art galleries, and faith centres;
stadia and large auditoria;
large commercial retail premises and shopping centres;
key buildings within town centres, e.g. town halls, civic centres and main public libraries;
educational establishments;
health facilities, such as hospitals, health centres and community practices;
other visitor attractions, such as theme parks, monitored beaches and parks.

Ventilating buildings has never been more important

It is not enough to just say let’s increase ventilation rate

Engineering controls should sit above the measures that rely on human behaviour such as distancing and wearing face coverings in any “hierarchy of risk control”. Building managers should address source control before studying ventilation requirements. This approach would not necessarily lead to increasing ventilation rates.
This is not just about flow rates as it depends on the size of the space. 10l/s per person is the ideal, but if people are close together and for an extended period we may need more flow rate.
There was also very little ‘real world’ evidence to prove the effectiveness of air cleaning devices.
Part F of the Building Regulations, which is currently under review, could be used to beef up the IAQ measures likely to be introduced in the forthcoming Environment Bill.
The gap is between what we write down as a standard and how we deliver. There are buildings out there that don’t have any controlled ventilation at all.

Changes to the training you need for an SIA licence

Published 5 February 2021 From: Security Industry Authority

We are making some changes to the training you need to take before you can get a front line SIA licence. These changes will happen in April and October 2021.

The changes are:

on 1 April 2021, we will introduce updated qualifications for all sectors except close protection
from 1 April 2021, you must have a first aid qualification before you can apply for a door supervisor or security guard licence
on 1 October 2021, we will introduce updated close protection qualifications
from 1 October 2021, you must have one of the new qualifications or take top-up training before you can apply for a door supervisor and security guard licence – this includes renewals

Why are we making these changes?

We need to make sure that people working in the private security industry can:

keep the public safe
follow new working practices
understand recent changes to the law
make the best use of new technology

New requirement: first aid training

We already expect applicants for a close protection licence to complete a first aid qualification before taking their licence-linked training.

From 1 April 2021, we will also expect applicants for a door supervisor or security guard licence to do the same.

You will need to do this if either of the following apply:

you are applying for a licence for the first time
it has been longer than 3 years since you last held a licence for that activity

From 1 October 2021, you will also need to do this if you are renewing your licence.

The qualification must be an Emergency First Aid at Work qualification or equivalent.

What do we mean by “equivalent”?

We will accept other qualifications that comply with the relevant guidance from the Health and Safety Executive. Some examples are:

First Aid at Work (FAW)
First Person on Scene (FPOS)
First Response Emergency Care (FREC)

Your training provider can tell you more about this.

New requirement: top-up training

From 1 October 2021, you must have one of the following before you can apply for a door supervisor or security guard licence:

one of the new qualifications introduced on 1 April
one of the older licence-linked qualifications and a ‘top-up’ qualification

This applies to any applications submitted on or after 1 October, including renewals. If you submit your application before this date, you will not need take additional training.

Other changes

More relevant course material

We have moved training that is critical for all sectors to the ‘common unit’ (taken by all security operatives). This includes new training on:

terror threat awareness
dealing with emergencies

We have introduced new sector-specific content – for example:

the close protection course includes new material on physical intervention
the door supervision course includes new material on the use of equipment such as body worn video recorders and breathalysers
the public space surveillance (CCTV) course includes new material on CCTV operational procedures and the law
the security guarding course includes new material covering personal safety

More practical assessments

We have increased the number of practical elements in the training to help learners reinforce their knowledge. The practical assessments include:

searching
dealing with conflict
report/statement writing
using communications devices

Official HSE Health & Safety

The only app by the HSE

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are delighted to announce the release of a bespoke mobile app, designed to help organisations understand the law, their health and safety rights, and their responsibilities.

HSE's mission is to prevent death, injury and ill-health in Great Britain's workplaces. Ensuring that guidance is available and accessible in a variety of formats is central to achieving this objective.

Created in partnership with the Stationery Office (TSO), the app is primarily for small and medium sized businesses to help them better understand the law and what is required to protect employees.

Author Note:

04 February 2021

Still in beta, will wait for improved version.

Ratings and Reviews

1.4 out of 5, 7 Ratings

Ogof2012, 20/01/2021

Shocking lack of useful information

I was genuinely pleased when I saw the HSE had finally created an app. But looking through the available information it is shockingly sparse, there’s a complete absence of any detailed information. Apart from being a very basic introduction to H&S this app will of no use to anyone on site. I would like to delete the app and get a refund, please advise how I would do that. Many thanks

Developer Response,

Hi, sorry to hear this. The primary reason for the creation of a mobile app, was that HSE recently conducted some market research for SMEs and discovered that most wanted a quick reference guide on their mobile or tablet device. Therefore, it was agreed that the best way to achieve this demand would be to convert the current guidance into a mobile app platform and charge a small price point for the convenience. We appreciate you could get the same content from the HSE website and it is entirely your decision to do so. However, the app allows you to quickly search a topic or query and provides the guidance required for most small to medium sized businesses. There is also a live updates feature, so you don’t have to continually refer to the HSE website if there has been an update in the guidance, as the app will automatically notify and update for you. Finally, we are still in beta phase, so if you do have any suggestions about what you would like to see included in the app, please do get in touch – tso_marketing@wlt.com

Unified definition for ‘Net Zero Carbon Aligned Buildings’