FIA Guide to the UK Fire Safety Industry Fire Safety Matters Live 2021 Feature
assist building occupiers and service
professionals to work together more
effectively. Protection against the
dangers of fires involving hazardous
materials was then covered brilliantly by
Mark Whiteley (UK and Ireland
manager at asecos), while Niall Rowan
(regulatory and technical affairs officer
at the ASFP) offered a concise review of
the competence piece as it relates to
passive fire protection.
The final presentation of the day was
delivered by Dr Bob Docherty, president
of the IFSM. This session set out the
industry’s and the IFSM’s dual vision for
creating a national career pathway for
competent fire risk assessors from those
who are starting out (ie ‘beginners’)
right through to experts and third party
certificated fire risk assessors, taking
into account specialisms and also sector-specific
fire risk assessors.
Building safety
The first presentation at 10.00 am was
given by Peter Baker, the Chief Inspector
of Buildings at the HSE, who duly
delivered a sense of how legislator
reforms will tackle deficiencies in the
building safety system identified since
the Grenfell Tower tragedy, an episode
that realised the greatest loss of life in a
UK residential fire since World War II.
Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent
Review of Building Regulations and Fire
Safety identified 53 areas for reform.
The Government responded by looking
to implement all of the proposals put
forward. “It’s about trying to achieve a
real step-change in attitude, behaviour,
culture and performance across the
whole process of designing,
constructing, maintaining and
managing higher-risk buildings,” stated
Baker, “and moving away from a cost-driven
approach to focus on safety.”
It’s fervently hoped that the new and
“more stringent” regulatory regime
coming to fruition will imbue people’s
confidence in the building safety system,
placing residents at its heart.
Baker noted: “The majority of the
reforms are coming through the
Building Safety Bill. Royal Assent is
expected in the first half of 2022.
An essential feature is the creation of
the Building Safety Regulator (itself
resident within the HSE) which has
three main functions: to lead the
delivery of the new regime for all
buildings in scope including higher-risk
and high-rise structures, promote
competence among professionals
working on buildings (and for building
control bodies) and also provide
There’s a new ‘hard stop’ involved now. Construction
procedures cannot start until the regulator has approved an
application. It must also be clearly set out in prescribed
documents exactly how fire risk is being mitigated by design
oversight for all buildings focused on the
use of evidence to better manage risk.”
Baker was appointed Chief Inspector
of Buildings at the HSE in February last
year. His first priority is to set up a
robust, proportionate and evidence-led
regulator that’s fit for purpose into the
future and place residents and building
users at the heart of the process.
“The second priority,” said Baker, “is
to use communication and engagement
to increase the visibility of the regulator.
This involves collaboration with
industry to implement cultural change.”
Third, Baker is focused on engaging
with residents and, indeed, the wider
public in a determined bid to build back
their trust in the system.
High-rise structures
High-rise buildings are those over 18
metres (or seven storeys) high. Going
forward, in terms of design and
construction, on 1 August this year the
HSE became a statutory consultee for
planning applications (Gateway 1). For
its part, Gateway 2 bolsters the current
building control ‘full plans’ stage with
the Building Safety Regulator serving as
the building control body for all in-scope
structures.
“There’s a new ‘hard stop’ involved
now,” asserted Baker. “Construction
procedures cannot start until the
regulator has approved an application. It
must also be clearly set out in prescribed
documents exactly how fire risk is being
mitigated by design.”
For occupied high-rise buildings, the
duty holder must take all reasonable
steps to prevent fire spread and
structural failure and limit their
consequences. ‘Accountable Persons’
must apply for a building assessment
certificate, including a safety case report.
The Building Safety Regulator will then
make an assessment of building safety in
respect of potential fire spread and
structural safety. “There are roughly
13,000 buildings impacted here,”
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