Watco have released a report, Lifting the Lid on the Building Construction and Refurbishment Sector, showing that only 26% of surveyed facilities managers were familiar with how the Act affects their role
The research further highlighted that only 34% of facilities managers knew what the Building Safety Act is.
Only 40% say they have a good working knowledge of how industry legislations and regulations affect their role.
The survey examined facilities managers within the building, construction and refurbishment sector
The Building Safety Act was updated in 2022, and now mandates a golden thread of information – a comprehensive keeping of records that can track all of a building’s design, construction, and maintenance for the whole building lifecycle.
This was adopted largely as a response to the Grenfell tragedy, the investigation of which would have been greatly aided by a golden thread of information.
The research by Watco also showed that facilities managers face threats to health and safety through a lack of maintenance, repair backlogs, wet surfaces, facility downtime, time constraints, and waterproofing/damp issues.
Worse still, only 28% stated that they take the time to conduct thorough audits of their sites, or undertake risk assessments once per year, and only 24% are familiar with potential hazards or can report or control risks.
Understanding of the Building Safety Act must increase in facilities managers
Scott Saunders, technical service manager at Watco, said: “Health and safety has always been a core element of an FM’s job role. However, the introduction of more robust building safety legislation means compliance now presents itself as a key issue. On top of an ever-increasing workload, FMs now must have a good understanding of how to comply with new legislation. Further to this, during the Labour government’s first budget since coming into power, the chancellor committed more than £5bn of investment over 2025-2026 to deliver the Government’s ambitious plans for housing. This has been followed by an announcement by the Housing Minister who stated existing schemes will receive £3bn more in government support to help deliver 1.5m homes.
“Apartment blocks make up many of the new housing schemes, and if they have over seven stories or are over 18m in height, they will be deemed higher risk. From their plant rooms to their carparks, FMs will play a critical role in ensuring the smooth and safe running of these buildings.
“With many priorities to balance, seeking support and sourcing training and product information from suppliers or third parties can help lighten the load, as they can advise on how their products meet standards and provide relevant certifications. Ultimately, everyone in the supply chain has a responsibility to ensure that buildings are safe and that the golden data thread is maintained.
“Third parties can also provide useful tools and resources that can help with wider maintenance and repair challenges affecting the safety and smooth running of the sites that FMs have responsibility for. For example, checklists can be used to ensure site inspections are thorough. This allows damage to be identified and repaired before it worsens and results in greater threats to safety.
“On top of this, implementing clear company processes to identify hazards, such as uneven floor surfaces, and how to repair them can help minimise costs, allowing for a more proactive approach to maintenance so hazards can be rectified before they worsen.
“Educating the wider team on company process and resources available to support can help reduce some of the burden on FMs and ensures the organisation is complying with legislation.”
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