Ministers have ruled out new laws to define how ‘golden thread’ building data is collected and shared – despite industry warnings. A consultation response published last week states that the government “does not agree” with mandating a single approach to this key element of the post-Grenfell safety regime. Key figures this summer warned that the principle of the golden thread could be undermined by the number of different digital platforms in use. And more than one in four respondents to one question in the consultation, held last year, backed mandatory compliance with a particular standard or language. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said in its consultation response that it “notes the concerns about not mandating standards for structuring information, data coding or an index structure”. But it added: “The government considers that imposing a solution for the whole of industry would not be proportionate or efficient.” Dame Judith Hackitt's landmark report into the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy identified a need for a ‘golden thread’ of information for higher-risk residential buildings to ensure critical data is gathered, stored and maintained throughout the building’s lifecycle. The Building Safety Act 2022 progresses this concept, and the Health and Safety Executive gives advice on what should be recorded and how. The consultation carried out last year outlined further policy proposals. Now, the latest update has revealed the level of unrest in the industry about the variability of the information being collected. “One respondent raised the concern that not requiring specific standards might lead to inconsistencies and difficulties when sharing information between systems,” said the consultation-response summary. “They also noted that there would be wide variation in what is produced, and different interpretations of the meaning of the words ‘accessible’ and ‘understandable’.” However, the government decided that mandating a specific standard or data dictionary could “impose unnecessary costs on accountable persons […] and these costs could be passed on to leaseholders”. The department will work with key bodies to produce new guidance, and to “signpost to existing standards and data dictionaries where they may be appropriate and useful”, it added. Speaking to Construction News, Build UK chief executive Suzannah Nichol called on construction companies to “take the lead” on the way information was provided, presented, stored and updated. “That is not mandating a system, but agreeing some industry-wide principles,” she said. Nichol warned against data dumping: “There is a huge amount of information related to buildings and we run the risk of everything being provided just in case. Then it becomes impossible to find what you actually need. “The information needs to be layered in a way that means the right people can find the right information at the right time, ranging from day-to-day and maintenance information, to the as-built information, including testing and sign-off details, which are required less frequently or only in certain circumstances. “And it all needs to be easily accessible.”
Source - Construction News
Comments