The Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) Managing Risk Well Working Group have released a document regarding CDM Fire Safety Arrangements. Construction fire safety needs to be managed from the earliest stages of design, procurement, and the construction phase. Duty holders need to address the fire risks to both site workers and to those persons living or working in neighbouring buildings. To support duty holders the CONIAC Managing Risk Well Construction Fire Safety sub-group has developed flowcharts and tables based on the Plan, Do, Check, Act approach set out in the HSE publication "Managing for Health and Safety (HSG65)". Click below to view the CDM Fire Guidance https://mcusercontent.com/f0fe9fe5a3fc6e19297e1df95/files/ee9d68b1-1662-55bf-78c5-efd28a8a2951/ion_Fire_Safety_PDCA_flowcharts_and_duty_holder_tables_V1.pdf

Updated Approved Document B: Fire Safety - Incorporating Insurers’ Requirements for Property Protection has been released. Volume 1 covers Dwellings, and Volume 2 covers Buildings other than Dwellings. Approved Document B: Fire Safety - Volume 1 Dwellings - Incorporating Insurers’ Requirements for Property Protection - download below Approved Document B: Fire Safety - Volume 2 Buildings other than Dwellings Incorporating Insurers’ Requirements for Property Protection - download below

The Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) has published new fire risk management guidance about Fire Safety on Construction Sites. The guidance is based on the well-established principles of Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) and HSE’s fire safety in construction guidance. It aims to help those with fire safety roles and responsibilities under The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) to embed fire risk reduction measures from the design stage through to project completion. Hosted on the new CONIAC website, the guidance is free to download at: https://www.coniac.org.uk/resources/ion-fire-safety-pdca-flow-charts-duty-holder-tables?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=guidance-push-hse&utm_term=coniac-1&utm_content=construction-10-jul-23 Further information can be found at: Managing for health and safety – setting out the PDCA approach Fire safety in construction – Appendix 4 provides a summary of duties under CDM in relation to fire safety in construction

The government published an announcement in which two following points were related to fire safety: Confirming the intention to mandate second staircases in new residential buildings above 18m, following confirmation from expert bodies that they support this threshold. This responds to the call from the sector for coherence and certainty. This is a considered and gradual evolution of safety standards, which, when taken with our other fire safety measures and reforms, ensures the safety of people in all tall buildings – both new and existing. The government is clear that this new regulation cannot jeopardise the supply of homes by disrupting schemes that have been planned for years. DLUHC will work rapidly with industry and regulators over the summer to design transitional arrangements to secure the viability of ongoing projects and to avoid delays where there are other, more appropriate mitigations. Opening the Cladding Safety Scheme to all eligible buildings, ensuring that no leaseholder will be out of pocket to fix dangerous cladding in medium or high-rise buildings. Click to see the full announcement below: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/long-term-plan-for-housing

The government has published interim guidance produced by Arup regarding fire safety considerations and measures to support the parking and charging of electric vehicles and the installation of electric vehicle charge points in covered car parks. This guidance is intended for car park operators, designers, risk assessors and owners of covered car parks. It outlines fire safety considerations and measures to take when: retrofitting existing covered car parks for the provision of electric vehicles (EVs) and electric vehicle charge points (EVCPs) designing new covered car parks for the provision of EVs and EVCPs The new guidance includes: General EV fire hazards Access requirements Charging of EV Installation of EV charge points Mitigation measures Click to see the copy of the guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covered-car-parks-fire-safety-guidance-for-electric-vehicles

Section 156 of the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022 is being commenced in October this year, except for subsection 4 (on the competence of FRAs). These requirements apply to all non-domestic premises, such as where people work, visit or stay, including workplaces, and the non-domestic parts of multi-occupied residential buildings (e.g. communal corridors, stairways, plant rooms). The requirements do not apply to individual domestic premises. The new legislation has the effect of amending the Fire Safety Order to: require that all Responsible Persons must record their completed fire risk assessment, and in full (where previously only specific information was required to be recorded) require that all Responsible Persons must record the identity of the individual (their name), and/or if applicable, their organisation (name) engaged by them to undertake/review any or all of the fire risk assessment require that all Responsible Persons must record their fire safety arrangements (demonstrate how fire safety is managed in your premises) require that all Responsible Persons must record (and as necessary update) their contact information, including a UK based address, and share this with other Responsible Persons and residents of multi-occupied residential premises where applicable require that all Responsible Persons must take reasonably practicable steps to ascertain the existence of other Responsible Persons who share or have duties in respect of the same premises, and of Accountable Persons (which are a new legal entity made under the Building Safety Act in the case of higher-risk residential buildings) in relation to the premises - they must then identify themselves to said persons require that departing Responsible Persons must share all ‘relevant fire safety information’ with incoming Responsible Persons require Responsible Persons of a building containing two or more sets of domestic premises to provide residents with relevant fire safety information in a format that is easily understood by the residents increase the level of fines for some offences strengthen the status of statutory guidance issued under Article 50 of the Fire Safety Order There is also a legislative requirement that, where the Responsible Person appoints a person to make or review the fire risk assessment, they must be competent. This legislative requirement will be brought into force at a later date, and we will provide relevant guidance in that regard ahead of the commencement date. The guidance has been published ahead of this to explain what RPs will need to do as a result of changes. You can find the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/check-your-fire-safety-responsibilities-under-section-156-of-the-building-safety-act-2022/fire-safety-responsibilities-under-section-156-of-the-building-safety-act-2022

"Criteria for being a higher-risk building during the occupation phase of the new higher-risk regime" is a new piece of guidelines published by the government. In the occupation phase of the higher-risk regime, this advice outlines the requirements for a building to qualify as a higher-risk building. Higher-risk buildings must adhere to the new higher-risk regime's criteria, which are under direct regulation of the Building Safety Regulator (the Regulator). Click below to read the full guidance document https://www.gov.uk/guidance/criteria-for-being-a-higher-risk-building-during-the-occupation-phase-of-the-new-higher-risk-regime?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bsr&utm_term=ind-section-test&utm_content=building-reg-21-jun-23

The Government have released a new guidance titled “Building Safety Regulator: giving us structure and safety information”. This guidance includes details on registering a high-rise residential building with the Building Safety Regulator. The guidance is aimed at the principal accountable person or someone authorised to act on their behalf who needs to register a high-rise residential building. The main items that need to be detailed during an application are: • Fire and smoke controls • Fire doors • Energy supplies, storage, and generation • The type of structure • The roof • Staircases • External walls • Building use • Building works since the original build • Connections • Evacuation lifts (if applicable) Click the link below to read the guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-bsr-structure-and-fire-safety-information-key-building-information/building-safety-regulator-giving-us-structure-and-safety-information-key-building-information

The build-up of deposits in fuel systems, in particular, the vaporiser units of LPG-powered vehicles, such as forklift trucks, has led to a number of fires. HSE requires to take the following actions: Review your safe system of work in relation to the use of all LPG-powered lift trucks and similar vehicles Provide information, instruction and training for all operators about the hazards raised in the alert Park LPG vehicles in well-ventilated areas free from flammable material, particularly when parking overnight or for longer periods Click to read the safety bulletin issued by HSE related to LPG Forklift Truck Fire Risk. https://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/forklift-fires.htm?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=forklift-fires-safety-alert&utm_term=safety-notice&utm_content=safety-alert-5-jun-23 If you are our Client of the Health & Safety Retainer - you should be already contacted by our Consultant with an updated SSoW and ToolBox Talk Training programme. If you wish to ask for the Health & Safety Retainer option for your company - contact us at 07701 335 035 or info@hsgenerator.com

On the 1st of June 2023 - HSE issued a new guide, which includes updates and information on Health and Safety at Work. A new guide will assist you in identifying and understanding what needs to be done by your business in order to comply with health and safety regulations. Link to the guide: Introduction to managing health and safety Link to the guidance: Common Workplace Risks

According to the findings of an HSE investigation, agricultural workers who process shellfish are significantly exposed to allergens called tropomyosin (TM). The HSE Science and Research Centre's Allergen Monitoring Service was requested to measure tropomyosin (TM) in compost for agricultural use that also contained crushed, untreated shell debris from the processing of seafood. The edible sections of some shellfish include a substance called tropomyosin, which is known to produce allergic sensitization, respiratory symptoms, and occupational asthma when inhaled. When processing shellfish 'waste' into resources, employers must take into account the regulatory implications. Shellfish waste is used by many companies that make fish food, compost, chemicals, and even batteries. While there may be reasonable agricultural reasons for significantly raising the number of crushed shells in compost, it's possible that the process of grinding such shells to a finely ground powder carries a higher risk activity. According to the "Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)," health and safety laws require businesses to efficiently control employees' exposure to substances that are harmful to their health at work, such as tropomyosin (TM).

A new draft of Martyn's Law has been recently proposed by the UK government. This law intends to improve the safety and security of persons attending events or places in the country by implementing a variety of anti-terrorism measures. The drafting of Martyn's Law requires that all publicly accessible locations and spaces in the United Kingdom meet a set of minimum security and safety criteria. Risk assessments, training, and the implementation of appropriate security measures are a few examples of such measures. Clause 19 of the proposed law, which particularly covers fire safety under the Fire Safety Order 2005, is relevant to persons responsible for fire safety. This draft law is not yet in effect and is still being reviewed and consulted on. However, it is likely that it will be enacted in the future, so those responsible for fire safety must begin to familiarise themselves with the implications of this law, particularly clause 19. Click here to view the draft of Martyn's Law Click Here to view the explanatory note for Martyn's Law