Fire, Security and Safety

Safety signs are everywhere: in the workplace, public spaces, and construction sites just to name a few. They act as an essential warning of any upcoming dangers that could cause potential injury or fatality. To create a safe working environment, the correct safety signs should be displayed in clear and visible positions to warn workers and visitors of any hazards and dangers. They are a critical element in a risk assessment where they serve as strong control measures to reduce the risk.

Back in April I wrote about the consultation that the Housing Minister, Robert Jenrick MP released inviting comments on the plans for the future of construction, encompassing the recommendations of the Building a Safer Future recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt i.e. the forthcoming Building Safety Bill which has now had is second reading in the House of Commons.

The next steps for this legislation will be a review by a select committee during the autumn of this year, expecting Royal Assent next summer. The aim of the Bill is to set out ground rules for improving building safety and implementing Dame Judith’s recommendations, enabling MHCLG in the main, to implement changes without having to revert to a new Bill every time, the overall aim being to ensure that residents are safe in their homes.

More than 4.5 kilometres of ‘Versa’ fire sprinkler boxing from Encasement is being used to conceal surface mounted fire sprinkler pipework, which has been retro-fitted at four South Tyneside Council tower blocks in Hebburn and Jarrow to help protect more than 280 residents.

Even though an independent fire inspection and level four fire risk assessment declared the high-rise residential blocks to be safe, the council chose to continue with the £1.4 million automatic sprinkler installation programme as part of its commitment to tenant safety and fire protection.

Aico’s acquisition of Homelync represents a significant milestone for
social landlords looking to procure connected solutions.

Bristol-based Homelync are an award-winning, innovative technology firm that specialize in smart home integration and analytics technology. With industry-leading expertise in the Internet of Things (IoT), software development and integration, the Homelync team are at the forefront of this progressive market.

Following the Grenfell tragedy, various building regulation updates and Government initiatives attempted to resolve the flammable cladding issue by outlawing combustible materials and mandating its replacement in existing buildings with non-combustible alternatives.

The External Wall Fire Review/EWS1 process was developed as a solution to this issue via a cross-industry working group consisting of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Building Societies Association (BSA), and UK Finance. Launched in December 2019, this process was intended to provide a framework by which mortgage lenders could be assured that the risk on their loans was suitably mitigated, unblocking the logjam and allowing homeowners to sell their properties.

Hardware and Fire Door systems specialist Winkhaus has invested extensively to ensure their Composite Fire & Security door set solution consistently proves performance and ensures compliance with all the latest requirements.
Winkhaus UKs Technical Director, Chris Flaherty, provides clarity for specifiers following a series of legislation and guidance updates covering the specification of composite fire doors.

Smoking remains one of the leading causes of fires, with hundreds of fires around the country caused by discarded cigarettes each year. In November 2019, The Cube in Bolton was devastated by a fire [2] now concluded to have been started by a discarded cigarette on a combustible balcony. This is, sadly, a staggeringly common occurrence with a litany of balcony fires caused by smoking materials the length and breadth of the country.