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Draft Safety and Health Annex



The overall objectives of the programme with regard to the development of a safe and healthy built environment are to:

  • Maintain Building Regulations and associated guidance based on scientific research.
  • Encourage innovative solutions.
  • Encourage an integrated approach to safety and health research which is set in the context of whole building performance (both new and existing) and how buildings are used.
  • Support the process of regulation and harmonisation with European and other standards.
  • Obtain a better understanding of current and future safety and health risks that require new or modified regulation.

The themes in support of these objectives have been developed in consultation with the Safety and Health in Buildings Advisory Group which has been set up by DETR and AEA Technology. This group includes representatives from DETR, HSE, DTI OST, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly, DOE (NI), CRISP, BRAC, BSI, LPC, ROSPA, NHBC, HBF, Housing Corp, CIBSE, CIRIA, BSRIA, TRADA, and BRE. The scope of each theme is set out in Table 1.

The themes have been drawn up with regard to the current regulatory framework and how this may be developed to maintain minimum standards and encourage more use of performance based solutions. Figure 1 shows the regulatory framework overlaid by the proposed themes. It also indicates the relationships that have been assumed between the themes and should help to place projects under a particular theme. There may be links to other themes within the DETR programme - for example a link to technology for codes and standards work and a link to business improvement for measurement of performance.

Evaluation of risks is considered to underpin all the other themes and covers projects that are primarily producing fundamental knowledge.

Harmonisation of Codes and Standards covers issues where existing knowledge needs to be refined and developed to a consensus for general adoption and alignment with European codes and standards.

Development of Regulations projects are most likely to be follow up projects that lead more directly to Approved Document revisions or underpinning guidance.

Enabling Performance Based Solutions projects evaluate designs, methods, tools and practices already being developed or adopted to provide alternative or higher performance solutions compared with the building regulation requirements.

Development of KPI projects are about developing performance indicators and targets and providing protocols for measuring and verifying these. Such projects are likely to follow up others that have evaluated risks or enabled performance based solutions.

Projects under the Enabling Compliance with Regulations theme are primarily aimed at increasing the adoption and impact of existing knowledge. They therefore follow projects that have developed regulations or provided performance-based solutions.

Finally projects under the Impact of Regulations theme primarily provide feedback on whether regulations and performance-based solutions are improving safety and health in practice.

Based on suggestions provided by the Advisory Group on areas that would currently benefit from further research some initial thoughts on priorities under each of the themes is given in Table 2. Consultees are invited to add to these suggestions.

 

Table 1 SCOPE

Evaluation of Risks to Safety and Health: Evaluation of risks and mitigation measures associated with changes and innovations in technologies and processes, particularly from new forms of construction and from conversion and refurbishment.

Harmonisation of Codes and Standards: Influencing development to maintain safety margins and to ensure UK products and practices are not disadvantaged.

Development of Regulations: Supporting development and revision of regulations, approved documents and underpinning guidance through a firm scientific understanding of materials, building performance and human behaviour.

Enabling Performance Based Solutions: Evaluation of designs, methods, tools, and practices to identify cost effective safety and health improvements and to provide guidance on the use of performance based approaches that will achieve equivalent or higher levels of safety, health, welfare and convenience than minimum standard regulations.

Development of KPIs for Safety, Health, Welfare and Convenience in and around Buildings: Identification of indicators and targets and development of measurement/verification protocols to enable certification of designs, methods, tools, practices and the competency of persons.

Enabling Compliance with Regulations: Facilitating adoption of regulation by improving communication of changes and enabling appraisal and competent use of alternative provisions.

Impact of Regulations: Assessing designer/user behaviour as a means to identifying the impact of regulations and changes that will achieve safety improvements because they are readily accepted and adopted during occupancy.

Figure 1 - Regulatory framework overlaid by proposed themes

 

 

Table 2 Initial Consultation has produced the following suggestions for priorities under each theme.

Evaluation of Risks to Safety and Health:

  • Risks arising from socio-economic factors
  • Safety and health issues associated with the impact of climate change on buildings
  • Risks in houses of multi-occupancy and in medium rise buildings
  • Risks arising in prefabricated buildings
  • Effects of durability, reliability and maintainability

Harmonisation of Codes and Standards:

  • Mapping of ISO and CEN developments
  • Introduction of European codes and standards into the building regulations

Development of Regulations:

  • Competing requirements of ventilation, air quality, fire safety, sound insulation and security.
  • As built performance including durability, robustness, ventilation rates and air tightness

Enabling Performance Based Solutions:

  • Provision and validation of data
  • Benchmarking of tools and methods
  • Cost and performance comparisons with minimum requirements

Development of KPIs for Safety, Health, Welfare and Convenience in and around Buildings:

  • Metrics for safety, health welfare and convenience
  • Measurement of air tightness
  • Measurement/verification of 'Design for All'

Enabling Compliance with Regulations:

  • Competency in Fire Safety Engineering
  • Survey of issues raised with Building Control
  • Topic advice notes - linking knowledge needs to guidance and research

Impact of Regulations:

  • Accident statistics and causes
  • Effect of occupiers' socio-economic groupings
  • Occupier awareness of building performance


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Published 20 April 2000
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