BUILD FOCUS: HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS
BUILD FOCUS:
HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS
This month, John Allden from Tamlite Lighting explores safety within high-rise buildings and explains that emergency lighting is still an issue that is being tackled in the later stages of a project.
JOHN ALLDEN IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR AT TAMLITE LIGHTING
SHINING A LIGHT ON THE SAFETY OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS As the construction industry emerges from a difficult period where the safety of high-rise buildings has been questioned, Tamlite Lighting’s Managing Director, John Allden, explains how we can collectively restore confidence. TAMLITE LIGHTING
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ver the last few years, the safety of buildings, and the people occupying them, has reached an ever-higher profile in the public’s consciousness. Whilst there had been a long-held feeling throughout the construction industry that something needed to be done to guarantee greater consistency in the design and construction quality of buildings, the tragedy that unfolded at Grenfell Tower in June 2017 brought things into a terrible focus. Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations, ‘Building a Safer Future’, in the aftermath of Grenfell concluded that a major reform was needed. FC&A – APRIL – 2021
Many of her recommendations regarding the delivery of a more robust regulatory system were reflected in the Government’s draft Building Safety Bill, which easily represents the most sweeping change to building safety in the last 40 years.
Restoring confidence One of the biggest concerns being addressed is the need for greater accountability at every stage of the construction process, establishing a chain of custody and holding those in charge throughout the various stages of the building’s existence accountable for any mistakes. 30
The appointment of a Chief Inspector of Buildings to lead and set up the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will ensure the new rules are enforced and action taken against anybody deemed to have broken them. Whilst accountability throughout the lifecycle of a building plays a key role in restoring confidence in the design, construction and maintenance of highrise buildings; further initiatives will focus on the products being used, ensuring they are fit for purpose. At the start of the year, the UK Government announced it was establishing a regulator for construction products who will have the power to remove any product from the market that presents a significant safety risk. They will also have the power to prosecute any companies who flout the rules on product safety. In addition, organisations such as the Construction Products Association (CPA) and British Board of Agrément (BBA) have also launched their own consultations, which will look at how product information is presented and marketed and how to drive forward products safety. Collectively, this provides precisely the kind of transparent reassurance that has been sought for many years. Critically, for building
