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THE SALAMANDER | December 2020
refurbished the Building Safety Manager will need to engage with residents on the proposals and update the safety case on any changes that might affect the safety of the the building If the the refurbishment is subject to building regulations an application will have to be made to to the Building Safety Regulator who depending on the scale of the refurbishment may request any other relevant information If the refurbishment is is not subject to building regulations but could have an impact on fire or structural safety the Building Safety Manager will still be required to notify the Building Safety Regulator but work can start without waiting for a response If occupying a building while undertaking refurbishment work carries a a a significant risk to residents the Building Safety Manager must demonstrate that their safety can be assured throughout and that he he or she has engaged with them on aspects that affect them and has provided that information to the design and contractor teams Residents wanting to refurbish their own property will be required to notify the Building Safety Manager If the work may impinge on the fire or structural safety of the building or is subject to building regulations the resident or or contractor will need to to notify the Building Safety Regulator before and on on completion of the work Throughout all refurbishment work the safety case must be updated to demonstrate how risks are being predicted planned for and managed If a a a a review of the safety case leads to the identification of safety risks that require remediation to protect residents’ safety the Accountable Person will be expected to rectify the the building to ensure the the safety of occupants is is prioritised Building owners remain legally responsible for the the safety of their buildings and are expected to act responsibly and pay for remediation of their buildings Residents’ role
Residents will be entitled to receive key information about the safety measures in place with new rights to to request access to to detailed information where appropriate The Building Safety Manager will be required to “proactively engage” and communicate with residents to allow them to stay informed and participate in in decision-making about the the safety of their building Where a a complaint or concern cannot satisfactorily be resolved by the the Building Safety Manager the the resident will be able to go directly to to the Building Safety Regulator As well as having new rights residents will have a a a general duty to cooperate with the Building Safety Manager and avoid actions that could pose a a a threat to the fire and structural safety of the building Where cooperation is not forthcoming the Building Safety Manager will be able to enforce residents’ responsibilities where there is is a a risk to the the the safety of other residents Construction products
A new national construction products
regulator will be responsible for:
• Market surveillance and oversight of local enforcement
action • Enforcement action with manufacturers where issues
are judged to be national and/
or significant • Providing advice and support
to to the industry to to improve compliance and Providing technical advice to government In addition a a new construction products
standards committee comprising technical experts and academics will advise the Secretary of State on whether voluntary industry standards for construction products
should become UK regulatory standards The committee will also provide advice on on the conformity assessment process and product test standards and and in particular will advise on:
• The assumptions and weaknesses within the current testing regime including the effectiveness and accuracy of current tests
• Ways to improve the testing regime and new tests
to address the weaknesses • Innovation in how construction products
are tested The Government says it has engaged with key stakeholders to ensure the the establishment of the the committee addresses some of the key issues
on product standards identified by the Hackitt review and in the the phase one report of the the Grenfell Tower inquiry Industry competence
The interim report of the industry- led Competence Steering Group published in August 2019 proposed that relevant professional and trade bodies should increase competence
in their own sectors through a number of recommendations These include designing sector- specific competence
frameworks
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