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INDUSTRY focus<br />
Safety first<br />
Marek Suchocki at Autodesk explains how companies should<br />
prepare for the forthcomng Building Safety Bill<br />
The Building Safety Bill is fastapproaching<br />
the UK construction<br />
sector, and promises widespread<br />
change. The government is aiming to<br />
"overhaul regulations, creating lasting<br />
generational change and setting out a<br />
clear pathway on how residential<br />
buildings should be constructed,<br />
maintained and made safe."<br />
Although the Fire Safety Act is now in<br />
place, the Building Safety Bill is still being<br />
finalised and it may be difficult to know how<br />
to get ready. So, what are the headlines<br />
from the bill - and what should owners and<br />
construction firms do today?<br />
Here's a summary of the Building Safety Bill<br />
and six key takeaways for UK businesses.<br />
1. Get ready for change - because it will<br />
impact everyone<br />
First of all, it's important to acknowledge<br />
that there are gaps in the practical<br />
guidance out there for construction<br />
companies. Right now, the details are<br />
being worked out and it's hard to see<br />
exactly how organisations will consistently<br />
meet the requirements.<br />
But nonetheless, it's vital that all<br />
construction businesses get ready for<br />
change. From owners to individual<br />
subcontractors and suppliers, the<br />
Building Safety Bill will place new<br />
obligations on every collaborator in the<br />
supply chain.<br />
This isn't just for tier one contractors;<br />
everyone will have to buy in, and there will<br />
be a strong legislative push to enforce the<br />
changes. Irrespective of your size and<br />
scale, understanding what's around the<br />
corner and starting to get ready is critical.<br />
2. Prepare for a mental shift about<br />
project information<br />
The principle of the golden thread of<br />
information will require everyone in the<br />
supply chain to maintain a record of<br />
every project. It's not just about handing<br />
over documents at the end of the<br />
project, or even uploading project files<br />
onto the cloud.<br />
Everyone from designers to contractors<br />
will need to maintain a local electronic<br />
audit trail, rather than relying on clients to<br />
hold the data. Choosing data platforms<br />
that easily integrate with others will be<br />
important, to ensure that data records<br />
can be slotted together.<br />
That's not to say that everyone will need<br />
to use advanced modelling tools, but<br />
internal records will be critical -<br />
particularly in the event that something<br />
goes wrong in the future. It might not be<br />
as disastrous as a fire, but the<br />
identification of a faulty or dangerous<br />
component that needs to be removed<br />
from other builds is essential.<br />
Again, this applies to all companies - no<br />
matter your size or scale. Small suppliers<br />
will need to revisit how they collect and<br />
store project information, just like<br />
everyone else. And positively, this also<br />
offers the chance of process<br />
improvements within businesses, from<br />
improved efficiency to quality control.<br />
3. The onus will be on owners, so know<br />
what to ask for<br />
Arguably owners face the biggest<br />
challenge from the Building Safety Bill,<br />
especially if they aren't already on a<br />
digital transformation journey. It will be<br />
28<br />
<strong>Jan</strong>uary/<strong>Feb</strong>ruary <strong>2022</strong>