Author: anthony

New consultation open on Scottish Building Standards compliance and enforcement…

The Scottish Building Regulations – Compliance and Enforcement Consultation is now open for views on the development of a new ‘Compliance Plan Manager‘ role in the Scottish building standards system. The ‘Compliance Plan Manager‘ role will apply to all ‘in scope’ high risk building types and the definition of high risk buildings in Scotland is also part of the consultation.

The Scottish Government’s Building Standards Division is now seeking to define and implement an appropriate and robust assurance regime to demonstrate that the duty imposed on the ‘relevant person’ responsible for certifying compliance with building regulations is being managed at both design and construction stages. The proposed compliance plan manager role is intended to provide continuity of management from start to finish.

It is proposed that the ‘Compliance Plan Manager’ will be appointed by the building owner at the design stage on all defined high risk buildings. This individual will provide a primary point of contact for the verifier, develop and manage the compliance plan, ensure all inspections are facilitated and the compliance plan is fully discharged to support the competent submission of the completion certificate to the verifier.

Read more on Scottish Construction Now.

NB: The above is a Scottish Building Regulations specific consultation and the reader should be aware that the new UK Building Safety Bill legislation  will not apply in Scotland, nor will the HSE be Building Safety Regulator in Scotland. 

A recent CROSS Safety Report discusses how building close down procedures that include isolating automated water systems might result in the drying out of green walls, thus presenting a significant fire hazard in external walls.  If the vegetation is allowed to dry out, it may become a fuel for fire.

This risk could also arise through a faulty system or poorly maintained system, resulting in the same drying out of green walls.

It is probably not currently on people’s radar that irrigation may fall under the same category as sprinklers or fire alarms, so fire strategies and fire risk assessments need to reflect its importance.

Read the report in full here on the Cross Safety website.