Fire, Security and Safety

Social landlords are increasingly realising that the Internet of Things (IoT) can bring many benefits directly to their organisations through improved maintenance efficiencies, investment optimisation and compliance. It is also increasingly clear that there are many benefits to residents including improving health, safety and wellbeing while also providing opportunities to help them save money. This isn’t just anecdotal evidence, but is clearly backed up by recent research HomeLINK carried out with over 50 landlords. Figure 1 indicates that the resident related benefits such as tackling fuel poverty and improving living conditions and energy efficiency are among those most associated with IoT adoption in social housing.

Awareness of the potential health problems caused by lead in the water supply, particularly in infants and children is growing.  Houses built before 1970 would have been constructed with lead water supply pipes and if still in place can be causing developmental harm to young occupants.
Although the use of lead in plumbing has been banned in the UK for more than 50 years, there are still many properties where a risk of lead contamination of water is a risk.  In some areas of the UK up to a third of these older properties are still receiving their water through these original lead pipes.[1]

Fire safety is critical but ensuring that an EWI system has been tested for windloading capabilities shouldn’t be overlooked. Mark Weaver, Alsecco’s Regional Manager explains...

The unique challenges presented in the last year in particular have highlighted an increased need for effective online operations for Housing Associations – an advancement and evolution of the already growing digital shift within the housing sector. A key driver towards expanding and embedding digital in Housing Associations is the need to adjust ways of working in order to save money, time and overall resources. Plus, both parties benefit when Housing Associations are better connected to their tenants – from sharing information, to understanding and supporting a diverse range of needs.  

As Sidey, Scotland’s strongest fenestration company, was among the first UK companies to achieve the new fire door certification, Joint Managing Director Steve Hardy talks about the importance of accreditations and the fact that the company has now added glazed options to its existing range…
Sidey was one of the first companies to achieve the new accreditations and we are now in a position to further add to our existing FD30 Composite Fire Door collection by offering glazed options. Following independent factory product audits, our full range of composite fire doors have been fully certified under the BM Trada scheme STD 170 and tested to BS EN1634-1 for fire resistance, both internally and externally.

Having been involved for many years in Fire rated products, gaining invaluable knowledge and insight into the Composite fire door industry Astraseal could see the requirement for a comprehensive fire door package. A start to finish solution backed up by extensive testing to the most onerous standards and certified by industry leading experts.

The package needed to provide a solution from enquiry through survey, design, manufacture, and installation and go on to include an opportunity for a maintenance contract. All stages of the process would need to be subject to testing, training programmes and certification to give clients the assurance that every door was backed up with unequivocal evidence proving its performance.

The package also needed to provide this one stop solution at a price that could not only compete within the composite fire door market but also offer clients huge savings over fire doors of other materials, and all of this needed to be available with shorter lead times than the market standards.

The ultimate fire safety door, fully third party accredited, at industry leading prices, available as a fast turnaround solution. A challenge indeed but one that Astraseal knew it could take on, resulting in higher fire safety door standards for the future.

Since Grenfell, fire safety in social housing has been in the spotlight. The standard of existing fire safety has been scrutinised and reviewed, with terms such as stay-put policy, EWS1 forms, The Hackitt Report, and ACM cladding all becoming household topics of discussion. Billions of pounds are being spent on Type 4 Fire Risk Assessments (FRA), cladding removal, door replacement programmes and waking watch. Housing groups are now putting more and more pressure on manufacturers and contractors to provide them with the assurance of compliance, with BIM and the Golden Thread becoming the expectation rather than the exception.