Building Safety Update: January 2023
This Building Safety Update is from January 2023. You can download a PDF copy of the printed version of this update by tapping below:
Building Safety Update - January 2023 [pdf] 407KB
Building Safety Update - January 2023
This Building Safety Update from January 2023 covers:
- Fire doors and inspections
- Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs)
- Updates to wayfinding signage
- The installation of premises information box systems
- Keeping communal areas safe
- Engaging with residents
- Keeping us (Bolton at Home) in the know
- Improvement works at Blackshaw House, Rogerstead House, Fernstead House in January/February 2023
We’re committed to keeping our residents safe, and following recent Government changes to laws, regulations, and legislation around building and fire safety, we’re writing to update you on these changes and what they mean for the building you live in.
Fire doors and inspections
As of January 2023, we have a legal duty to inspect all our fire doors. Inspections will take place on all fire doors within your building to make sure they’re working, safe, and well-maintained.
Communal fire doors- such as chute room doors, cupboards, and stairwell doors- will be inspected every quarter, and every flat entrance door will be inspected every twelve months.
We’ll notify you in advance of these inspections- however, it’s important that you allow us access to your flat for entrance door checks. Doing so will help keep you and other residents safe.
We’ll send you a separate leaflet about fire doors (which you can access here: www.boltonathome.org.uk/fire-doors), and we’ll also be placing posters at building entrances. These will provide further detail on fire doors, why it’s important to keep them safe and working, and how you can check your own fire door and report any faults to us if necessary.
Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs)
FRAs are essential in helping us to better understand the risk of fire spreading in our buildings and identifying what needs to be done to prevent fire and keep people safe.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 legally requires us to conduct and regularly review the FRAs of our buildings. We already carry out FRAs on a yearly basis and will provide a summary of these findings to customers on request (you can also find digital FRA summaries at: www.boltonathome.org.uk/building-safety-case-information).
Wayfinding signage
Wayfinding signage (like the signage we use for floor numbers) is being changed to improve safety when finding your way around the building and to help the Fire and Rescue Service locate floors and flats in the event of an emergency.
Floor numbers will be clearly marked on each landing within the stairways, and they’ll be placed in prominent places, such as entrances and lift lobbies.
The new signs will also be made using sizes and colours that make them easy to spot in both normal and low light or smoky conditions.
Premises information box systems
As of January 2023, all our high-rise residential buildings will need to have premises information boxes installed on their exteriors. These will safely store building safety information that can be used by the Fire and Rescue Service in the event of a fire.
The box will include a copy of up-to date floor plans of the building and information relevant to the Fire and Rescue Service only.
Communal areas
It’s really important to keep communal areas clear and free from any items which may cause a fire, an obstruction, or contribute to the spread of fire in any way.
We may remove, without notice, any items we feel pose a risk. These could include bikes, prams, plant pots, curtains, pictures, and rubbish bags.
Mobility scooters and e-bikes/scooters can pose an even greater fire risk in communal areas. It’s really important that if you own one of these, it isn’t stored in a communal area at any time. Storing these items in a communal area is a breach of your tenancy conditions.
Permission must be requested and given by us (Bolton at Home) first- before you purchase these items- to ensure that they’re safe for you and other residents. Please call us on 01204 328000 if you need to request our permission.
Resident engagement
The involvement of our residents is at the heart of our approach to safety. This is why we’ll update you as soon as there’s anything to share in relation to building safety.
We’re currently working on creating a dedicated page on our website that we’ll use to promote building safety and will let you know when it’s ready. We’re also close to launching a series of short, animated films that’ll cover different safety themes on our website and social media channels.
We also want to engage with you on the way we manage our buildings, make decisions, and build better relationships with our residents by setting up high-rise resident groups and new customer consultation panels. Please let us know if you’d like to be involved- we’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions.
If you’d like to discuss the contents of this letter and/or any other building or fire safety matter, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us using buildingsafety@boltonathome.org.uk or 01204 328000.
Amy Wunderley
Building Safety Manager
Please keep us in the know
It’s crucial that we’re made aware of cases where our residents may be unable to evacuate the building on their own in the event of a fire or other emergency in the building.
This information is important as we’ll share it with the Fire and Rescue Service so they know to assist you if there’s an emergency.
Examples could include (but are not limited to) needing extra assistance to evacuate the building due to reduced mobility, or a hearing or sight impairment.
We’ll discuss any personal needs with you when we carry out the yearly property safety check at your home.
Please contact us on buildingsafety@boltonathome.org.uk or 01204 328000 if there are any changes to your circumstances in between our home safety visits so that we can make sure our records are up to date.
Blackshaw House, Rogerstead House, Fernstead House to have further improvement works commencing January/February 2023
This will include:
- New floor coverings to the stairwells and communal areas.
- Repairs to any broken or defective fire doors identified in the new fire door inspection process.
- Painting and decorating to communal areas.
- Removal of the walls and old fire doors on each lobby area.
We’ll continue to keep you updated on the works throughout the programme.