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The building industry needs to change its safety culture and embrace digital information in order to rise to the challenges of improved building safety, a new report from the Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) says.

Published last month, the committee’s report picks up on Dame Judith Hackett’s concept of a ‘golden thread’ running through the lifetime of a building, as set out in her Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. The BRAC report fleshes out what the golden thread means in terms of providing and managing key information about a building’s potential fire and structural safety, and the digital recording and processing of that information. The provisions apply to higher risk buildings – those that are more than 18m or seven storeys high and comprise a minimum of two residential units.

The report emphasises that the golden thread is not just information about a building – it also includes how that information is managed and processed, to ensure it is both accurate and accessible. It applies to the whole life of a building, from design and construction through to occupation. Crucially, the golden thread will record any changes (such as amendments to information, documents or plans), when changes were made and by whom, to help drive improved accountability.

The golden thread supports the safety case approach, where those accountable for high-rise and in-scope buildings must ensure reasonable steps are taken to manage fire and structural safety risks through prevention, control and ongoing management. They must set out and justify their approach in their safety case report, which will be assessed by the Building Safety Regulator. The intention is for the regulator and residents to be able to hold accountable those involved in the design, construction and management of a building.