Introduced on the back of Dame Judith Hackitt’s rigorous report into the Grenfell Tower fire, the Building Safety Act 2022 came into force on 1st April 2023. It overhauls existing regulations and makes clear how the built environment should be constructed, made safe and maintained. It’s one of several pieces of legislation and guidance being implemented by the Government to enhance building safety, including additions to the Fire Safety Act 2021.
Part 4 of the Building Safety Act identifies new duty holders (known as ‘Accountable Persons’ or APs) who will have a duty to take all reasonable steps to:
Although parts of the Building Safety Act have been in force for over four months, deadlines for new elements of the legislation are looming. These will have a significant impact on safety and compliance requirements for new, existing occupied, in construction and planned multi-occupancy buildings over 18 metres or 7 stories high and will classify them as High risk: containing at least two residential units; or is a care home; or is a hospital. And Higher risk: containing at least two occupied residential units – and will include office developments with flats as well as social housing and university halls.
With the legislation focused on traditional fire and safety issues such as fire doors, fire escapes and cladding, the safe delivery and storage of mail and parcels could easily be overlooked. However, this should be a core part of any safety strategy. Mail is delivered into every building, every day and without adequate provision it’s a combustible volume that can start and quickly spread a fire.
Any Appointed Person (or Building Safety Regulator) should carefully consider mail in their risk assessment – and put in place suitable provision to mitigate any risk.
We were the first instigator and creator of fire-rated mailboxes to the previous BS 476 Part 22 standard and, as demand for these fire-rated mailboxes grew, so did our specification. By working with the leading global testing, inspection and certification company, Warrington Fire, we are still the only company to achieve full Fire Rating (2hr integrity) to BS EN 1363-1:2012. Passing the test involved placing our mailboxes in a furnace and exposing them to heat of 1030 degrees C and over 2hrs later they showed no signs of weakness or deterioration. Offering complete reassurance that both our mailbox (and its contents) cannot spread or fuel a fire – and can also contain and hold back a fire for 2 hours, providing residents the critical time that may be needed to safely evacuate via designated fire routes and corridors and communal spaces during a fire or an emergency.
It’s also vital to remember every mailbox located in a fire route or fire-rated wall needs to be tested and certified to a 2 hour fire rating. Careful consideration regarding installation is equally important: a fire-rated mailbox recessed into a fire-rated wall, must sit within that wall on fire rated steel supports or a block plinth and all gaps sealed with intumescent cement or filler.
If you need further information or guidance with this, we can help.
In the UK, parcel volumes have doubled since 2021, creating multiple problems in buildings without sufficient and compliant solutions. Instead, carriers are leaving parcels unsecured in lobbies and on stairs, entrances and corridors, creating potential bonfires of combustible materials and blocking or obstructing fire exits. This is a very real modern living risk but it can be addressed.
For this reason, we strongly recommend every building now has a ‘Parcel Strategy’. It will ensure parcels can be stored safely and conveniently in a 2 hour fire-rated parcel locker system that will leave fire escape routes clear and contain, hold back and not contribute to the spread of a fire.
Even if your building doesn’t have an issue with parcels now, the seismic predicted growth in parcel numbers could create a fire risk and cause you compliance issues in the years ahead. And with the number of parcel deliveries in the UK expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2026, that could be sooner than you think.
Central to the new regime is the creation of a national Building Safety Regulator (BSR), sitting within the Health and Safety Executive, with responsibilities for monitoring the safety of all buildings in England. The Regulator has wide-ranging powers to regulate standards for buildings and construction work, including powers to investigate and prosecute breaches. Higher Risk Buildings will be subject to safety case processes and regular safety case reports, needing to be reapproved for occupation regularly. The Building Safety Regulator is likely to be interested in your strategy for the storage of parcels due to the risk of volume blocking routes, creating trip hazards and accelerating a fire.
The sign-off and continued approval of your building in the future could be impacted by a problem that’s easily solved by a parcel strategy and one of our 2 hour fire-rated parcel box solutions today.
The Building Safety Act is a huge and complex piece of legislation and with your eyes firmly fixed on compliance, it would be easy to overlook other vital forms of protection your building occupiers expect and deserve – from parcel piracy and cybercrime.
‘Parcel Piracy’ is the name given to the theft of packages from buildings and is especially prevalent where there’s not enough secure delivery or storage space for the increasing number of deliveries. Shockingly, ten parcels are lost or stolen in the UK every minute which can lead to identify theft as well as the loss of physical property. But by selecting a mailbox partner like us that’s approved by Secured By Design, this can be easily avoided.
Another way your building could be vulnerable to identify theft – and worse – is cybercrime. With the Internet of Things, your cyber security is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain and without the right certification, an intelligent or digital parcel box can become an easy target for cybercriminals. Once inside your system they can gain access to anything and everything from your doors to your databases, crippling operations and leading to major breaches of personal and sensitive information.
We are the UK’s only parcel box manufacturer to have achieved IASME IoT Cyber Assurance Level 2 Certification. The highest level of protection available.
The Building Safety Act required all higher-risk residential buildings to be placed on a register by 30th September 2023. According to government estimates, there are 12,500 existing buildings which required registration. Owners and managers who fail to comply could be investigated and may face prosecution.
From 1 October 2023, developers must apply to the regulator for building control approval before starting building work on any high-rise buildings.
By April 2024, a Building Safety Case Report will need to be completed. From this date the BSR will begin to call in buildings for assessment and issue Building Assessment Certificates. At this point, the requirements related to registration for building inspectors and building control approvers becomes enforceable.
From registration information supplied, the BSR will prioritise higher risk buildings to be called in for assessment, based on height and number of dwellings. The regulator aims to assess all buildings for the first time within five years.
Long before the new Building Safety Act, we’ve been protecting building owners and occupiers and improving the safety of the Built Environment. In fact, our founder Ian Brown MBE began our business in 1986 specifically to help an elderly couple who lay awake at night in fear of fire caused by accelerants being poured through their letterbox.
Today we have over 180 different parcel and mailbox designs – on, in, through the wall and freestanding – to make buildings and occupiers safer including high and higher risk buildings such as social housing and university halls. What’s more, our Research & Development team is constantly working on features that don’t just comply with the latest standards and legislation but push boundaries in testing, innovation and design.
Just when you think you’ve ticked all the compliance and regulatory boxes under the Building Safety Act, a lack of focus on other important aspects of your design may still lead to your building not getting sign off – resulting in a delay in your revenue.
With over three decades’ experience of working with architects, developers and estate managers all over the world, we lead the way in developing Parcel Strategies and mailbox solutions for today and tomorrow.
Get our helpful FREE fact sheet on the Building Safety Act 2022 and Fire Safety Act 2021 and find out more about how we keep you compliant, protect your assets and keep your building occupants safe.
Wall recessed, 2-hour fire rated Mailboxes, for New Zealand Residents
We welcome the chance to discuss your project and we can share all that is current in terms of standards and product options totally free of charge.
Simply complete and submit the form and we will get back in touch to talk through your requirements.
We also provide Autocad drawings as required – it’s all part of the service!
We welcome the chance to discuss your project and we can share all that is current in terms of standards and product options totally free of charge.
Simply complete and submit the form and we will get back in touch to talk through your requirements.
We also provide Autocad drawings as required – it’s all part of the service!
