12th September 2023
Following the Grenfell Disaster, fire safety became a principal focus of the Government’s new Building Safety Act. Introduced in 2022, the Act centred around improving the accountability and traceability of fire protection installations, requiring stakeholders to keep a ‘golden thread’ of information relating to a building throughout its lifecycle.
This digital record was originally intended to be collated in a single document, however in its latest round of discussions, the Department for Levelling Up Housing & Communities (DLUHC) has reconsidered, saying instead that information can be stored across multiple systems. Taking onboard stakeholder feedback, the decision reflects the challenges facing dutyholders in storing information and allows for golden thread data to be kept up to date in an easier and more effective manner, delivering safer outcomes.
Our role as manufacturer is simple – to make the transition to the golden thread as straightforward as possible for customers. Pursuing a strategy of collaboration, education and innovation, this is exactly what we aim to achieve. In this article, Head of Sales and Specification Aaron Sharp discusses what the latest update means for our customers and how we go the extra mile to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.
“With more than a year of the new regulations behind us, it’s positive to see discussions are still ongoing to iron out the finer details and come to an agreement between all parties on the best working solution. While pivotal, the golden thread has certainly presented challenges for our partners, and in practice, recording has proven difficult, which is reflected in the latest comments by Department for Levelling Up Housing & Communities. We will always support measures to promote greater building safety, but there must be a balance between what is necessary and what is achievable.”
“Navigating new regulation is always difficult, but working with our customers, we aim to help make the transition as simple as possible, supporting them where we can with innovative, time-saving technology. Over the last year that’s exactly what we’ve been able to deliver.”
“With traceability and accountability central to golden thread compliance, we have introduced a new innovative product labelling system to our cavity barrier products. From customer feedback, there remained apprehension around installation, so we felt it was our job as a manufacturer to make the whole process as accessible as possible. Utilising QR code technology, we make vital product information available to contractors on-site and at their fingertips. This information is vital to the golden thread and must be recorded as part of the digital reporting required under the Building Safety Act. We also choose to print the codes directly onto the products, ensuring the information can still be accessed after any packaging has been disposed of.
“Helping to ensure correct application, the QR codes can be quickly and easily scanned with a phone or tablet taking installers directly to our website, where they will find easy-to-follow tutorials on the correct handling and installation of our products. Featured across our TCB range, and on our Cavity Stop Sock and Open-State Cavity Barrier, we are the first manufacturer in the low-rise market to introduce this technology and one of the first in the high-rise market to link QR codes directly to our own training and installation videos.
“Embracing innovation, this technology has helped our customers to better understand our products and the new regulations, supported safer installations across the industry.”
Learn more about our product range, or contact us on 0113 252 9428
