Half of the UK construction industry professionals happen to be unclear when it comes to Building Safety Regulator- BSR gateway system, with only 1 in 10 having a plan when it comes to storing building information, as per a new 2024 survey.
Half of the 500 respondents to the survey, which was carried out by the specification information provider NBS, went on to say that they weren’t that clear, or for that matter, not clear at all, as far as the responsibilities of duty holders for gateway systems defined in the Building Safety Act 2022- BSA were concerned.
Just less than half, or 44%, to be precise, said they were indeed clear about what they were required to do so as to carry out a project that happens to fall under the BSA.
Since October 2023, higher-risk-building HRB projects have had to pass through each of the three gateways that happen to be overseen by BSR before they could get built and even occupied.
HRBs happen to be defined as buildings that are higher than 18 meters, or seven stories, and contain a minimum of two residential units.
The UK and Ireland chief executive at Byggfakta Group, NBS’s parent company, Russell Haworth, remarked that at their Construction Leaders’ Summit in October 2023, Dame Judith Hackitt had gone on to tell the audience that, in no uncertain terms, that regulatory change happens to be coming, and it is indeed unstoppable, and hence the construction industry requires to be completely prepared.
The fact is that all the designers must have the correct approach in terms of specifications if the sector is to raise the bar when it comes to building safety.
Moreover, less than half of respondents- 45% said that they were clear on how they were going to manage building information so as to fulfill their golden thread obligations. Just 10% said they happened to have a solid plan.
It is worth noting that the golden thread happens to refer to the duties pertaining to the principal contractors, principal designers, as well as the clients who work on an HRB project so as to keep an up-to-date digital record in terms of information on the building which the people can access and make use of. It is indeed needed for a building to go through gateway three, which thereby helps it get occupied.
The UK government has apparently, ruled out mandating a single approach to the golden-thread obligations, but industry leaders have warned that a dearth of digital standardization is indeed creating confusion within the sector.
It is well to be noted that during a consultation on BSA in 2022, one in every four respondents went ahead and supported mandatory compliance with a specific standard or language.
The government has also gone on to say that it is not going to set a time limit on when the accountable persons must go ahead and share their golden-thread information with the BSR.
Stephen Hamil, NBS’s innovation director, said that the level of understanding when it comes to the golden thread of information happens to be pretty worrying. In addition to providing a continuous flow in terms of information across the entire lifecycle of a building, it is indeed mandatory to make sure that all relevant safety-related data happens to be readily accessible and up-to-date.
Notably, NBS, a digital platform especially for built-environment professionals, will go on to launch its report on industry views of the BSA in April 2024.
