A recently released guide addresses the possible dangers of using living and green walls for external cladding. Click below to download the guidance or use the link. GREEN AND LIVING WALLS AS EXTERNAL CLADDING - A JOINT GUIDE TO MANAGING RISK

The Secretary of State in accordance with Article 50 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 issued a simple guide to fire doors for Responsible Persons, which include how to conduct routine checks and provide information to residents. Follow the link to see the guidance: Home Office - A Guide to Fire Doors for Responsible Persons

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 came into force on 1 October 2022. The regulation have been updated for the social rented and private rented sectors. Landlords must ensure adequate provision of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. From the 1st of October 2022, all relevant landlords must: 1. Ensure at least one smoke alarm is equipped on each storey of their homes where there is a room used as living accommodation. This has been a legal requirement in the private rented sector since 2015. 2. Ensure a carbon monoxide alarm is equipped in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). 3. Ensure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are repaired or replaced once informed and found that they are faulty. The requirements are enforced by local housing authorities who can impose a fine of up to £5,000 where a landlord fails to comply with a remedial notice. For more detailed information see The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 Additionally, we recommend to read an easy-to-understand Government Guidance: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: guidance for landlords and tenants

The Fire Safety Act of 2021 made it clear that the Fire Risk Assessment required by the Fire Safety Order must take flat entrance doors into account. According to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, self-closing mechanisms must be tested frequently and fire doors, including entrance doors to apartments, must be in good repair and operational condition. These tests make sure that the current door standard is maintained. Below there is direct link to the new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire door guidance, which has been updated on 5 October 2023 Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire door guidance

From 1 October 2023, new fire safety legislation comes into effect which will impose new duties on businesses and buildings owners. The changes in legislation are also known as Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022, and they are in addition to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the Fire Safety Act 2021 which commenced last summer. The Fire Safety Order is the primary fire safety legislation in England and Wales, and it applies to all non-domestic premises as well as the communal parts of residential buildings. Changes to this legislation have been introduced through the Building Safety Act 2022 and represent the next phase of the government's fire safety reform programme. Main changes: 1. Written fire risk assessment and fire safety arrangements The previous requirement to have a written fire risk assessment only applied in certain circumstances (e.g. where the responsible person employs five or more persons). This will no longer be the case, and if you are a responsible person, then you will need to record both your fire risk assessment and fire safety arrangement in full, regardless of the size or purpose of the business or premises. 2. Provision of information to residents In residential buildings with two or more domestic premises (e.g. blocks of flats) the responsible owner must provide residents with information on the risks from fire within their building and the fire safety measures provided to keep them safe. This requirement expands upon legislation introduced earlier this year that required responsible persons to provide residents with information on emergency procedures and the importance of fire doors. 3. Enhanced requirements for cooperation and coordination In premises where there is more than one responsible person, for example in multi-occupied premises or buildings where the occupier and building owner are different entities, there are increased requirements for cooperation and coordination between responsible persons. For more information click the link below: Fire safety responsibilities under Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022

All high-rise residential buildings in England must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) by 1 October 2023. A high-rise residential structure has: at least 7 floors or at least 18 metres in height at least 2 residential units You must submit and pay for your registration application by 30 September 2023. The cost of the application is £251 per building. Use this service to apply to register a high-rise residential building in England. Click the link below: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/register-a-high-rise-residential-building?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bsr&utm_term=high-res-headline&utm_content=digest-14-sep-23

From October 2023, developers of high-rise buildings will no longer be able to choose whether they want to use local authority building control or a privately approved inspector as their building control body. The Building Safety Regulator will automatically be the building control authority for all high-rise buildings. Competence assessment is part of the pathway for building control professionals to become registered building inspectors. The register will open in October 2023, with registration mandatory from April 2024, when Building Control will officially become a regulated profession. From that date (April 2024), individual building control professionals, working for both the private sector and local authorities, will need to have passed an independent competence assessment to operate, and they will be required to be registered on the Building Safety Regulator’s register of building inspectors.

GOV.UK has published a new guidance page on the responsibilities of the principal accountable person regarding a high-rise residential building’s safety case report. The safety case report is a document that summarises the safety case for a high-rise residential building. It identifies the building’s safety risks and explains how the risks are being managed. Building safety risks are the risk of the spread of fire or structural failure. From 1 October 2023 you should prepare a safety case report as soon as possible when: - the building is already occupied or becomes occupied - you become the principal accountable person The report must contain the following information: - Details of the accountable persons - Responsible Persons - Who prepared the report - Building description - Risk Assessments summary - Managing risks summary - Safety Management System - Planning for emergencies - Ongoing work and building improvement For detailed information, click the link below: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/preparing-a-safety-case-report

The Home Office has released a new update on the fire safety reform programme, which covers the following: Upcoming changes to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Monitoring the impact of our reforms to-date Promoting our fire safety reforms Supporting our work on Fire Risk Assessor capacity and capability An update on our Fire Safety Guidance Programme Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) makes a number of amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) to improve fire safety in all buildings regulated by the FSO. The changes, which come into force on 1 October 2023, include a new legal requirements as described below: • all Responsible Persons to record their fire risk assessment in full (previously only the significant findings needed to be recorded and only in specific circumstances) • all Responsible Persons to record the identity of the individual (their name and/or if applicable, their organisation) engaged by them to undertake and/or review a fire risk assessment • all Responsible Persons to record their fire safety arrangements (demonstrating how fire safety is managed in their premises) • all Responsible Persons to record (and as necessary update) their contact information, including a UK based address, and share this with other Responsible Persons and residents of multioccupied residential premises where applicable • all Responsible Persons to take reasonably practicable steps to ascertain the existence of other Responsible Persons and, where applicable, Accountable Persons (a new legal entity made under the Building Safety Act 2022 in the case of higher-risk residential buildings) who share or have duties in respect of the same premises, and to identify themselves to said persons • for the departing Responsible Person to share all ‘relevant fire safety information’ with the incoming Responsible Person • all Responsible Persons in 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 • an increase in the level of fine that can be issued for offences in relation to the intentionally deceptive impersonation of a fire inspector, failure to comply (without reasonable excuse) with specific requirements imposed by a fire inspector (such as by not providing a copy of the fire risk assessment when requested), and failure to comply with requirements relating to the installation of luminous tube signs to the maximum possible, bringing them into line with all other offences under the FSO • a new legal provision that in court proceedings for alleged breaches of the Fire Safety Order, compliance with or deviation from guidance issued under Article 50 may be relied upon as tending to establish whether or not there was a breach of the Fire Safety Order. Click the button below to view this update:

HSE carried out over 400 inspections of primary and secondary schools across England, Scotland and Wales to assess how they are managing risks from asbestos. The inspections showed that most schools were complying with their legal duties and had effective systems in place to manage and monitor the condition of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). A small number of schools (7%) had significant enough failings in their systems, meaning enforcement action was required to address them. Most of these failings are related to improvements being needed in their management plans or surveys. To comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 schools should: keep an up-to-date survey clearly showing the location of asbestos and highlighting any areas not surveyed identify any action required by the survey, check to make sure it is completed and update records have a clear asbestos management plan specific to the site, and regularly review it regularly monitor the condition of ACMs have effective procedures for dealing with any unplanned disturbance of ACMs and providing accurate information to emergency services attending the site ensure staff have clear roles and responsibilities for managing asbestos and ensure deputies or contingency plans are in place to cover for absences ensure contractors provide risk assessments, method statements, and evidence of asbestos awareness training To read the Management of Asbestos in school buildings 2022/23 report: https://www.hse.gov.uk/services/education/asbestos-management-report.htm?utm_source=inspectionsgovdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=guidance-push-hse&utm_term=&utm_content=education-17-jul-23 Further information in relation to managing asbestos: Asbestos in schools - HSE https://www.hse.gov.uk/services/education/asbestos.htm?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=guidance-push&utm_term=further-info-1&utm_content=education-17-jul-23 Introduction to asbestos - HSE https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/intro.htm?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=guidance-push&utm_term=further-info-2&utm_content=education-17-jul-23 Managing asbestos in your school or college - Department for Education https://www.gov.uk/guidance/asbestos-management-in-schools

‘Unsatisfactory’ fire safety found in 30% of inspected schools Approximately 30% of the schools inspected up to the year ending March 2022 had an unsatisfactory rating during fire safety audits. A recently released report from the National Audit Office has brought to the fore the condition of the UK’s school buildings, with growing concerns over the declining state of the fabric of buildings and the “significant safety concerns” that this raises. The link to the National Audit Office report: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/condition-of-school-buildings/#downloads The Fire Protection Association published an article with some common issues that have been identified during fire risk assessments within educational premises across the UK. The link to the article: https://www.thefpa.co.uk/news/school-assessments

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