Golden thread information

The government has published draft secondary legislation on what it expects Accountable Persons to include within their Golden Thread of information.  

The legislation draft outlines comprehensive requirements for building compliance in England, focusing on higher-risk buildings and various aspects of safety measures, information provision, and regulatory compliance. The key elements cover fire safety, structural risks, building assessment, management of safety risks, mandatory reporting, resident engagement, complaints, and completion certification.

Whilst this legislation is at draft stage (the full reference of the source document is provided at the end), it is likely to be passed in early 2024, and therefore we have prepared a high-level summary of the key points.

Of course, this document is purely the opinion of the SafetyCase Partnership and you should not rely on it for your decision making.  We consider the following key points to be requirements for your Golden Thread information:

Registration & Key Building Information:

Layout and location information and updates for registered higher-risk buildings and key building data, including building assessment certification applications are required. Current and initial construction plans for higher-risk buildings, detailing any changes made to the building that could affect Building Safety.

Fire Safety Information:

For higher-risk buildings undergoing scheme work and those already in operation, clients must provide fire safety information to Relevant Persons (RPs) as per regulations. This encompasses evacuation strategies, “details” of all fire safety measures, locations of those measures, compliance maintenance of those measures and procedures for occupants in case of fire.

Structural Risks & Management:

Details of structural safety measures to prevent or minimise structural failure need to be detailed.Additionally, schedules for maintenance and repairs, inspection reports, and building design specifics must be provided.

Mandatory Reporting & Complaints:

Information from mandatory occurrence reporting systems, steps taken in response to reports, and details of any complaints received, actions taken, involvement of regulators, and complaint outcomes should be recorded and summarised.

Building Assessment & Safety Risk Evaluation:

Documents regarding building assessment certification, safety risk evaluations, safety case reports, maintenance records, and documents enabling effective planning for managing building safety risks must be updated and available.

Plans & Resident Engagement:

Documented procedures and protocols for/of resident engagement, and engagement with residential unit owners need to be provided.

Comprehensive Record Keeping:

For all categories, documents need to be maintained for up to seven years, including records of recurring complaints, mandatory reporting arrangements, and all safety-related documents.

In summary, compliance for higher-risk buildings involves extensive documentation across various facets of fire safety, structural risks, building assessments, safety management, complaints, and engagement with residents. These stringent requirements aim to ensure comprehensive safety measures and adherence to regulations within the built environment.

Finally, all Golden Thread information needs to be maintained electronically.  But do not fall victim to those many vendors pitching their Property Management, Computer Aided Facilities Management and Maintenance Management software applications as being Golden Thread compliant. There is no such compliance and you could manage the data provision with most basic software applications.

Reference: The Higher-Risk Buildings (Keeping and Provision ofInformation etc.) (England) Regulations 2023