In the pursuit of building safety, one crucial concept has emerged that every duty holder must embrace: The Golden Thread of Information. This framework is designed to ensure that building safety risks are identified, understood, managed, and mitigated throughout the entire life-cycle of higher-risk building
The golden thread serves as a digital record of vital building information, providing those responsible for building safety with the right data to maintain a safe environment for residents and users. Essentially, it’s about having comprehensive, reliable, up-to-date, and easily accessible information that covers both the completed building and any ongoing changes or renovations.
1. To demonstrate that the building and any subsequent modifications comply with building regulations.
2. To identify, understand, manage, and reduce building safety risks, preventing or minimising the impact of fire spread or structural failure.
By maintaining this thread, building owners and those managing the building can prove that they are fulfilling their legal obligations and creating a safe environment.
Without the golden thread, managing a building’s safety becomes a challenge. The information contained in the thread is key to managing building risks and ensuring safety measures are in place. Those responsible for the building’s upkeep need to have quick access to accurate information at all times. This includes everyone from maintenance teams to emergency responders and residents.
The golden thread is composed of two main elements: Building work and Maintenance.
· Building Work: This ensures that all modifications, renovations, or enhancements made to the building are documented accurately. It also allows building owners to identify and mitigate potential hazards proactively.
· Maintenance: This part of the golden thread ensures that ongoing maintenance and changes to the building are tracked, so safety risks can be managed effectively over time.
The crucial aspect here is ensuring that those in charge of the building know where to find the up to date information and can grant access to those who need it.
The golden thread process begins before construction even starts. During the design and construction phases, information must be collected and kept up-to-date, especially when plans are modified. Once the building is complete, this information is handed over to the Accountable Person(s).
During Occupation
The Accountable Person takes over responsibility for the golden thread once the building is occupied. This person is responsible for keeping the information accurate, accessible, and up to date. If they are unable to find this information, they need to justify why.
In buildings that are already occupied, the Accountable Person must make reasonable efforts to gather the necessary information to manage risks related to fire safety and structural integrity.
For buildings undergoing refurbishment, there may be shared responsibilities between the Principal Accountable Person and other duty holders, especially since many buildings remain occupied during renovations.
Conclusion
In the end, the golden thread is about more than just regulatory compliance, it’s about making sure the right people have the right information at the right time to keep buildings safe for the long term.