With the current RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) schools crisis dominating headlines, the issue of building safety is once again a major talking point – and a key focus for next month’s UK Construction Week Birmingham, when it will feature heavily across the three-day event.
The extensive building safety seminar, workshop and speaker programme will run for the duration of the show at the NEC from 3rd to 5th October, and will feature many of the leading experts and key voices in the industry:
On October 4th, Dame Judith Hackitt, who led the post-Grenfell Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and now chairs the UK’s Industry Safety Steering Group, will be joined by Amanda Long, Chief Executive of the Code for Construction Product information to discuss ‘Next steps in Building Safety – getting product information right’ – a look at building safety and how factoring culture change doesn’t solely include specifying the right product.
Retrofit will play a huge role in securing our buildings in future, whether that’s remedial work on RAAC, removal of asbestos, and the mission to reach Net Zero, and this will also be look at in detail on the Sustainability Hub with multiple sessions, as well as on the Main Stage as we look into the £1.48bn retrofit framework announce this spring.
Other sessions to look out for include Mike Shannon, Business Development Manager, JELD-WEN UK, who will be delivering a talk on ‘Five things to look for in fire doorsets to improve long-term safety’. Mike will discuss how vital fire doorsets are to buildings and fire safety strategy, and uncover his five key elements that consumers should look for.
A key exhibitor at UKCW Birmingham will be the ASFP – Association for Specialist Fire Protection. ASFP works alongside the Government and international standard setting bodies, both directly and via other sector group associations to increase the quality of installed fire protection within all forms of construction. Visitors will also be able to find an area dedicated to Fire Safety working with the ASFP to promote excellence in the design and installation of fire protection products through high quality and technical expertise.
Within the ever-popular Future Lab feature will be EvacStac, a collaboration of steel fabrication and fire safety experts. EvacStac is an affordable solution whether installed with or without a sprinkler system to existing buildings. They create a prefabricated, retrofit escape tower – providing a much needed permanent second staircase for evacuations, firefighting and / or general circulation.
On the 3rd and 5th October, between 9am and 11 am,BSF will be hosting a building safety workshop. Both days will host the same programme to ensure visitors don’t miss out on valuable information. Topics on the agenda include:
- Building Safety Regulator update
- BSA Legal perspective
- Golden Thread update
- BSF Champion cast study
There will also be an audience Q&A with an expert-led speaker panel covering topics such as:
- Building Safety Act – October deadline and new legislation
- Golden Thread – future proofing your digital information strategy
- What comes next? – the evolution of BSA legislation
Nathan Garnett, UKCW Event Director commented: “UK Construction Week has always placed Building Safety at the very heart of our education and thought leadership. The issues around RAAC are not new, but the extent of its impact is clearly escalating. This comes as the industry grapples with new regulations resulting from the Building Safety Act, as well as the crucial mission to retrofit buildings to meet net zero standards. UK Construction Week has assembled the very best experts to ensure this is the place to get up to speed on all of these topics.”
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