A government-issued building safety guide has been updated to help accountable persons assess safety risks in high-rise residential buildings.
Applying to England, the detailed guide from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) covers information about the risk assessment team, what to assess, all reasonable steps, risk assessment methods, and how to record assessments.
Aimed at non-specialists to help them with assessing the risk of the spread of fire and structural failure, the guidance states:
“Your assessment will help to demonstrate that you understand the risks and manage them effectively. It will also help you to demonstrate that you have taken ‘all reasonable steps’ to manage building safety risks.
“You’ll find it easier to decide what to do to prevent building safety incidents or reduce their severity. You may also identify other reasonable steps you can take to reduce the risk further.”
As detailed in the guidance, a risk assessment team should include those with knowledge and experience in safety management systems, fire safety, and structural safety, though it adds that such teams do “not have to include consultants or other specialists”.
“You and your organisation know your building better than anyone else and you may be able to assess the risks yourselves.”
As part of the risk assessment, accountable persons should be aware of different hazards in different areas; changes to risks during the life of a building; safety risk scenarios such as fire-risk scenarios and structural-risk scenarios; and any existing control measures.
While the Building Safety Act 2022 does not require using a specific risk assessment method, the guide states that the method used should be “fit for purpose and match the risk profile” of the building.
“The scale of assessment needed depends on the complexity of the building being assessed. Whichever one you choose it should consider the full range of risks throughout your building.”
The guide includes an example of a HAZID (hazard identification) risk assessment method, also known as a ‘what if’ study, which details a systematic risk assessment that is used to explore “all eventualities”.
You can access the full guidance, which includes an example of the HAZID risk assessment method here.
‘Assessing safety risks in high-rise residential buildings’ is part of a series of guides from HSE that have been created for accountable persons. You can access all the guides here.