LABC welcomes extension of CROSS to fire safety

News
CROSS fire safety newsletter image

From 29 March Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures (CROSS), operated jointly by the Institutions of Civil and Structural Engineers, has expanded its remit to include reporting on fire and structural safety. 

LABC has welcomed the expansion which empowers built environment professionals and others to help make structures safer with the refresh of the collaborative and confidential safety reporting system.

Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety recommended that CROSS "should be extended and strengthened to cover all engineering safety concerns". 

As a result the reporting system for buildings and other structures now allows professionals and others to confidentially share their experiences and any concerns about fire as well as structural safety. CROSS then publishes safety information and supports continuous learning at all levels across the built environment, including individuals, organisations and regulators.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Dame Judith Hackitt said, "This is a really important step in changing the culture around buildings and structures to one of openness and transparency. Other industry sectors like airlines have shown how valuable this type of no-blame reporting of concerns can be in identifying potential causes of failure before they happen and ensuring that they are shared with the whole sector."

LABC welcomes the expansion of CROSS’s role to include fire safety. Our members have found CROSS a really useful safety resource for structural issues and the extension to fire safety will mean more and better information for construction professionals.
LABC Chief Executive, Lorna Stimpson

CROSS Structural Safety Expert, Alastair Soane, added, "Ensuring structures are safe is a fundamental need and expanding CROSS into fire safety will provide more comprehensive monitoring and learning from across the sector. 

"We want to promote a culture of change within industry – one that supports and encourages individuals to come together and share responsibility for creating a safer built environment."

And LABC Chief Executive, Lorna Stimpson, said, "LABC welcomes the expansion of CROSS’s role to include fire safety. Our members have found CROSS a really useful safety resource for structural issues and the extension to fire safety will mean more and better information for construction professionals."

The expansion of CROSS functions was supported by funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as part of its aim to deliver the recommendations made in the Independent Review.

Read the first newsletter following the CROSS expansion into fire safety

Comments

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Sign up to the building bulletin newsletter

Over 48,000 construction professionals have already signed up for the LABC Building Bulletin.

Join them and receive useful tips, practical technical information and industry news by email once every 6 weeks.

Subscribe to the Building Bulletin