CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CULTURE & PRACTICES
LOOKING BACK TO LOOK FORWARD ASFP Ireland COO David O’Reilly discusses the latest developments in fire safety legislation in Ireland
In the March edition of Ignite we reported on the Government’s decision, earlier this year, to allocate €2.5bn towards remediation works in apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013. But why was this considered necessary, and why this timeframe? This timeframe was specified as it coincides with the period between the enactment of the Building Control Act 1990, signed into law in July 1991, and the implementation of the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations (BCAR) in March 2014. The reason such remediation is necessary is that, for over 20 years, there was no formal system of inspection and sign off for completed
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construction. There is little or no evidence of enforcement during this period. Conveyance of buildings was achieved by issuing ‘Opinions of Compliance’ with substantial qualification statements, such as: • We were not retained to supervise construction • Not a report on the condition of the building • No opening up • Visual inspection only • Substantial compliance with building regulations • Providing evidence for title purposes. Things started to change following the October 2011, high court eviction of residents from the Priory Hall Apartment complex in North Dublin. Strengthening the Building Control System, a review of building control arrangements was published in the April 2012. This explained official thinking at that time and heralded the introduction of BCAR in 2014. The document stated: • ‘In the light of a number of recent high-profile failures on the parts of developers/builders and their agents to meet their statutory responsibilities it is considered that sticking with the existing arrangements is no longer tenable.’ • ‘The purpose of the lodgement of plans,
A LETTER FROM IRELAND
mandatory inspection by registered professionals, statutory certificates of compliance and registration of certificates and accompanying documentation is to ensure a strong culture of compliance with the Building Regulations, and greater transparency in the process.’ A principal tenet of Building Regulations is to ensure that fire resisting compartments are designed and built to provide egress for occupants and access for firefighters. The failures referred to here are mirrored elsewhere and have led to well-documented catastrophic fire spread and consequent loss of life, property, and livelihoods. In the UK, the 1998 Construction Task Force report which followed the earlier Egan & Latham reports identified the confrontational and competitive situation that exists in the construction industry and the need for improvement in training and skills levels. • Many buildings are constructed and operated with Passive Fire Protection either badly installed or missing altogether. • This situation is compounded by subsequent alterations to the building as changes in occupancy, occupations and systems take place. ASFP’s guidance document, Ensuring Best
ASFP IGNITE