Published 9 November 2017
In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire disaster issues of fire safety in buildings will be uppermost in the minds of architects. Concerns have been raised by a number of fire safety experts about inconsistency in compliance with Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations, regarding the handover of fire safety information at the completion of a project. RIBA members may wish to review their procedures for monitoring project compliance with Regulation 38, which requires that:
“The person carrying out the work shall give fire safety information to the responsible person not later than the date of completion of the work, or the date of occupation … whichever is earlier.”
The “responsible person” identified in Regulation 38 has the same meaning given by article 3 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, normally the employer in a workplace or the person having control of the premises in other buildings.
The RIBA is developing a database of chartered architects and chartered practices with expertise in fire safety to support its work in this area. If you are a RIBA Chartered Member or RIBA Chartered Practice with experience and expertise in fire risk assessment, fire engineering and/or cladding, particularly in relation to high rise buildings, and would be prepared to assist, please contact us with an indication of your area(s) of specialist knowledge at practice@riba.org
