Introduction
In light of the Building Safety Act 2022, building owners and developers face new challenges in ensuring the safety of high-rise residential buildings. The creation of a Building Safety Case and Hazard Analysis is a critical process in ensuring the safety, compliance, and resilience of buildings, particularly in the wake of increasing regulatory scrutiny and public awareness following high-profile building safety failures. This process involves a comprehensive assessment of risks, identification of hazards, and the implementation of measures to mitigate potential danger.
However, it comes with its own set of challenges. This article explores the complexities of writing a Building Safety Case and Hazard Analysis, with a focus on three key areas: building health and safety, fire engineering, and structural engineering.
Key Components of a Building Safety Case Report
A comprehensive Building Safety Case Report must include:
- General building information
- A risk assessment & hazard analysis for both fire and structural safety
- Fire engineering strategy appraisal
- Structural engineering design and condition appraisal
- Appraisal of building safety systems and the management thereof
- Development of documented Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR) System policy and procedures
- Development of documented Resident Engagement Strategy
- Schedule of actions and recommendations to be completed or followed
The document can be divided into three key sections: Building Safety Management Systems, Fire Safety, and Structural Safety. The preceding sections will look a Common Challenges in Preparing Building Safety Cases in each of these three key areas.
General challenges faced by building owners and developers when tasked with the development of a Building Safety Case
Building owners and developers often encounter challenges when sourcing relevant documentation, especially for older buildings. There can be a lack of suitably developed processes and procedures for the management of safety in the buildings. Preparing a comprehensive Building Safety Case requires extensive documentation, risk assessments, and detailed information about the building’s design, construction, and management. This can be a complex and time-consuming process that can be beyond the PAP, AP, Developer, etc.
The Building Safety Case is not a one-time document, it requires continuous review and updates. This poses a challenge in terms of resource allocation and maintaining up-to-date information throughout the building’s lifecycle.
The Resident Engagement Strategy (or RES) is a key supporting document. It intends to effectively communicate the content and implications of the Building Safety Case to various stakeholders, including residents. The production of this document can be difficult, due to a general lack of detailed information regarding the risk profile of the residents but is crucial for transparency and safety. The effectiveness of the RES process has yet to be fully tested.
With the implementation of the new Building Safety Act, regulators face the challenge of comprehending complex projects without the extended dialogue traditionally seen with approved inspectors. This shift requires a more streamlined yet thorough understanding of project details. Some developers are experiencing significant delays at the Gateway 2 stage of the approval process. The new regulatory regime may slow down the delivery of ‘higher risk’ construction projects, both in terms of getting them to the site and through to completion. This could impact project timelines and overall development schedules.
Local councils and developers face potential financial challenges due to expensive interventions required by the new safety standards. For example, installing sprinkler systems and second staircases in existing buildings can be expensive modifications. The industry is grappling with adapting to the new, more stringent safety standards. This requires a shift in approach, additional training, and potentially new expertise within development teams.
Challenges faced with completing the Fire Safety technical sections of a building Safety Case
Challenges faced with completing the Fire Safety technical sections of a building Safety Case
Challenges faced with completing the Fire Safety technical sections of a building Safety Case
When compiling the fire safety section of the Building Safety Case Report, both the accountable person and the report author face several key challenges, including:
- Lack of a Fire Strategy Report – In some cases, there is no existing fire strategy report, or it lacks critical information about specific fire safety systems and means of escape, making it difficult to verify compliance with Part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations 2010. Additionally, outdated reports make it difficult to assess the current status of compliance.
- Missing Performance-Based Fire Engineering Documentation – If the building was designed using a performance-based fire engineering approach, crucial reports such as structural fire analysis or CFD smoke modelling are usually found to be missing, leading to gaps in a comprehensive assessment.
- Incomplete or Missing Compartmentation Surveys – Without a thorough compartmentation survey, there is uncertainty about the integrity of fire-resistant barriers, which are essential for preventing fire spread.
- Outdated Fire Door Surveys and Fire Risk Assessments – Fire doors and other fire protection measures deteriorate over time. If surveys and assessments are outdated, it becomes challenging to accurately assess the current fire safety condition of the building.
Addressing these issues early in the process is crucial for ensuring compliance with BSR requirements and maintaining a robust fire safety strategy. Without relevant supporting fire safety information, the production of an all-important Fire Safety Hazard Analysis is difficult. The fire engineering risk appraisal and “HAZID (Hazard Identification) Analysis” is a building-specific analysis, providing the building with a bill of health at a snapshot in time. Actions and recommendations stated in the HAZID analysis are key to the promotion of the Building Safety Case. The HAZID analysis helps determine practical risk reduction actions that should be taken to mitigate fire risks to ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. It also provides additional recommendations and expert insights from a Fire Engineer, ensuring that the fire safety strategy remains robust and effective.
Challenges faced with completing the Fire Safety technical sections of a building Safety Case
When compiling the fire safety section of the Building Safety Case Report, both the accountable person and the report author face several key challenges, including:
- Lack of a Fire Strategy Report – In some cases, there is no existing fire strategy report, or it lacks critical information about specific fire safety systems and means of escape, making it difficult to verify compliance with Part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations 2010. Additionally, outdated reports make it difficult to assess the current status of compliance.
- Missing Performance-Based Fire Engineering Documentation – If the building was designed using a performance-based fire engineering approach, crucial reports such as structural fire analysis or CFD smoke modelling are usually found to be missing, leading to gaps in a comprehensive assessment.
- Incomplete or Missing Compartmentation Surveys – Without a thorough compartmentation survey, there is uncertainty about the integrity of fire-resistant barriers, which are essential for preventing fire spread.
- Outdated Fire Door Surveys and Fire Risk Assessments – Fire doors and other fire protection measures deteriorate over time. If surveys and assessments are outdated, it becomes challenging to accurately assess the current fire safety condition of the building.
Addressing these issues early in the process is crucial for ensuring compliance with BSR requirements and maintaining a robust fire safety strategy. Without relevant supporting fire safety information, the production of an all-important Fire Safety Hazard Analysis is difficult. The fire engineering risk appraisal and “HAZID (Hazard Identification) Analysis” is a building-specific analysis, providing the building with a bill of health at a snapshot in time. Actions and recommendations stated in the HAZID analysis are key to the promotion of the Building Safety Case. The HAZID analysis helps determine practical risk reduction actions that should be taken to mitigate fire risks to ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. It also provides additional recommendations and expert insights from a Fire Engineer, ensuring that the fire safety strategy remains robust and effective.
Challenges faced with completing the Structural Safety technical sections of a building Safety Case
Regardless of a building's age, except for very recent constructions, we often find that readily available structural information for assessment is limited. Structural information only began to be digitally stored after 2000, and until recently, records were often incomplete or not documented as “built.”
There are currently over 12,000 buildings in the country that are designated as being Higher Risk Buildings. Some of these buildings were built over 50-60 years ago and have very little structural design data related to the original build let alone to any alterations that may have happened since the original construction.
For older buildings we would not expect to have a complete set of structural information made available for risk assessment, however, there are key areas that we would look at and look to provide evidence on to support the Building Safety Case such as:
- An understanding of the building's structural layout would allow for an assessment of the building's main stability systems. This does not necessarily mean a full set of drawings and plans, but having a clear understanding of the column grid, wall, core position, structural typology of the building, etc.
- Identification of key elements, transfer structures, primary connections, and their location.
- Sufficient knowledge of the structural fire protection systems to allow for a meaningful assessment of its structural fire resistance (i.e. concrete cover or passive steelwork protection etc.).
- An understanding of any balcony structural systems, their condition, connections, and restraints.
- Knowledge of any modifications made to the structure and evidence to support the design of any changes.
- Details of the different types of structural materials used to construct the building and where they have been used.
- General condition of the structure if it is over 3-4 years old.
Where record information is not available, we recommend that surveys be carried out to target the key areas highlighted above. For example, a cover meter survey of a representative sample of concrete elements would be sufficient in most cases to determine the structural fire resistance of the building.
Recent guidance information provided by the Building Safety Regulator to help with the production of Building Safety Cases
The BSR has recently updated their guidance in December 2024 aligning their guidance with the acceptance criteria. The guidance is provided on their website under “Preparing a safety case report”. Further details of the acceptance criteria may be provided directly to the Principal Accountable Person, outlining the 28 Building Safety, 25 Fire Safety & 26 Structural Safety criteria.
SOCOTEC’s approach to the production of a Building Safety Case
Writing a Building Safety Case and Hazard Analysis is a multifaceted process that demands expertise, collaboration, and a proactive approach to risk management.
The challenges in building health and safety, fire engineering, and structural engineering highlight the need for a holistic and interdisciplinary approach. As the industry adapts to new building safety requirements, SOCOTEC offers comprehensive services to support building owners and developers in navigating these challenges. With expertise in Building Safety, Fire Engineering, and Structural Engineering, SOCOTEC provides tailored solutions to ensure compliance and enhance overall building safety.
We are on hand to provide a tailored service to cover all aspects of the production of a Building Safety Case. We also provide lunchtime CPD sessions to cover all the essentials and nuances around the level of information required to meet the criteria.
To learn more about our expertise in Building Safety Case services, please visit https://www.socotec.co.uk/our-services/structural-engineering/building-safety-case
For more information on SOCOTEC's Building Safety Case production services, Please get in touch with Stephen Kavanagh at 07876238415 or stephen.kavanagh@socotec.co.uk
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