The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has launched a free online toolkit to help principal accountable persons manage safety in high-rise residential buildings in England.
The managing building safety toolkit is aimed at more than 4,000 principal accountable persons (PAPs), who oversee more than 13,000 high-rise residential buildings. PAPs hold a statutory role under the Building Safety Act and are responsible for ensuring a building’s fire and structural safety is managed.
BSR said the toolkit was developed to help PAPs, particularly those in resident-managed buildings, navigate their duties.
Charlie Pugsley, acting chief executive officer of BSR, said: “This managing building safety toolkit represents a significant step forward in our efforts to support principal accountable persons, especially those in thousands of resident managed buildings across England.”
The toolkit includes on-demand webinars, Q&As, guides, tips and alerts, as well as material on engaging with residents, remediation in existing buildings, official guidance for occupied buildings, and guides for high-rise residents. It also contains materials for BSR’s national “Your Home, Your Safety” resident campaign.
Information is provided on preparing a Safety Case Report, which is used to demonstrate safety compliance, and on plans for future building assessments.
The toolkit offers free training for more than 2,000 resident directors. In many cases they are also the PAP in high-rise resident management companies, Right to Manage schemes, and commonhold associations.
It also includes guidance on how PAPs should engage with residents to gather their views on building safety matters, and building control approval advice for residents planning home improvements. Resources and information on BSR’s remediation plan are being made available for buildings undergoing specific construction work.
Pugsley added: “By centralising resources, training opportunities and links to guidance we are supporting duty holders to more effectively manage the complex, but essential requirements of the Building Safety Act.
“Whether it is preparing a Safety Case Report, planning for remediation work on an existing building or engaging with residents, this resource helps to ensure that building safety remains the top priority for both BSR and thousands of our high-rise communities.”
The launch follows BSR’s recent announcement that it plans to introduce a more proportionate and targeted approach to future higher-risk building assessments. The plan also includes greater support for resident-led PAPs.
BSR said regular updates are planned over the coming months to add resources to the toolkit. PAPs and other interested parties can access it and sign up for updates on the Making Buildings Safer website.
Image credit: jordaneil – Shutterstock
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