Cladding Fire Remediation Works Services in the UK from GLRE

In the aftermath of Grenfell, the Government said building owners should take responsibility for funding fire safety measures, including the replacement of dangerous cladding. Almost one year later, on 16 May 2018 the Government said it would meet the reasonable cost of the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding by councils and housing associations.

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Fire Statement & Strategy

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Where a building is either being built or undergoing construction that extends or changes the use of the building essential fire safety must be assembled by the person or business carrying out the works. This is a requirement under Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations. The purpose of Regulation 38 aims to ensure that information critical to the life safety of people using or working near the building in the event of fire is communicated to the owner, occupier and/or end user, so that the building can be operated and managed correctly, not just at the stage of first construction but in the future.

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By having this invaluable information available it will enable the responsible person to meet their obligations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, otherwise known as the ‘Fire Safety Order’ and produce a ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment. By having this information available it will accurately record the physical fire safety precautions in place, and so enable risks to the relevant persons in the building to be understood in a way that allows them to be appropriately addressed.

The facts

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Regulation 38 has been part of the Building Control requirements for many years. It is not something new! In Scotland, the information must be provided before a completion certificate can be issued. It is not the case in England and Wales. This should be addressed. The reason for this is that the onus is placed on the Person carrying out the work as defined within the regulation, in other words, the contractors. Many contractors are not aware of this and as such seldom is enough information provided. As a result, the Responsible person will not have enough information to meet their obligations under the Fire Safety Order.

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The initial enquiry into the tragic Grenfell Tower fire of 2017 and the resulting report by Dame Judith Hackitt, chapter 8, referred to this requirement as the ‘Golden Thread of Information’.

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Fire Strategies & Planning Statements

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Statements and strategies are required for all new buildings to demonstrate compliance with Building Regulations, and for existing buildings to inform of the fire risk assessment.

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That it will typically include details of:

• Fire engineering principles applied to the design.
• Design location and protection of escape routes throughout.
• Identification and specification of all fire safety systems that are required including ventilation, suppression systems and fire detection systems.
• Structural spread of fire requirements for surface materials.
• Fire compartmentation requirements including fire stopping and cavity barriers and cladding.
• GR can complete fire strategies both prior to any projects or retrospectively.

Oversee all Project Management

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With ever-changing legislation we have a range of tailor-made surveys to suit all our client’s requirements including:

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• Prepare and plan your requirements.
• Develop and research all feasible options.
• Prepare Project Risks and Budgets.
• Present and deliver Clients Requirements.
• Undertake site Survey & Inspection.
• Valuation and Financial Project Management.
• Reconciliation of final account on completion.

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Handover & Completion

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On completion of the construction phase of your project GR will:

• Handover the building in line with our client’s requirements.
• Produce a full review of the projects perform.
• Aftercare and maintenance programme.