Project managers are risking prosecution when project teams fail to advise their clients about statutory fire safety requirements. In many cases, according to fire engineering consultancy Burro Happold, clients are only being advised when projects are almost complete, forcing them to find extra last-minute funding before new buildings can be occupied.
Building regulations for England & Wales introduced in April 2007 require the supply of fire safety design and management information to the ‘responsible person’ under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Failure to do so can result in prosecution.
“Project teams must advise clients about the cost, planning and technical requirements of meeting this statutory requirement at project conception – and especially on projects with cost plans developed prior to 2005 which often do not have a capital cost allowance set aside,” said Stephen Mackenzie, head of fire Safety and risk management of Buro Happold’s fire engineering design and risk assessment team.
“Compliance is vital because local authorities and approved inspectors are advised not to issue completion certificates or final notices for buildings, until they are satisfied that relevant information will be given to the responsible person on completion of the project or first occupation.”
He says building regulations state that ‘a design which relies on an unrealistic or unsustainable management regime cannot be considered to have met the requirements of the regulations’. Government guidance states that under the RRFSO ‘there is no period of grace for the responsible person to produce the fire risk assessment’ and that ‘the documentation and any necessary safety measures must be in place on the first day that a building is occupied.’
The scope of information required to satisfy the regulation will vary with the complexity of the building, he adds, but it should cover the design and construction of the building or extension, and the services, fittings and equipment provided in connection with it.
Burro Happold says it set up a dedicated fire safety and risk management team to reflect the importance of managing fire risk throughout the life of a building. The team has used this approach on projects including the Thomas Deacon Academy (pictured) and Ascot Racecourse.
