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BUILDING CONTROL
AMENDMENT REGULATIONS
1 YEAR ON
Andrew Macilwraith ME MIStructE
Senior Executive Fire Officer
Cork County Fire & Building Control Department
SUMMARY
Pre – Building Regulations
 Building Regulations (pre BCAR)



Current Regulations


Opinions of Compliance
Certificates of Compliance
Possible Amendments?
Optional Certification for Single Dwellings/Ext.
 Reduce Qualifications
 Inspection Template Dwellings
 Extension to Plot Ratio

BUILDING REGULATIONS
(HISTORICAL)
BEFORE BUILDING REGULATIONS

Draft Building Regulations
Small Brown Book (mid-1970s)
 Regulatory
 Prescriptive


Proposed Building Regulations

Small light Blue Book (1980s)
No Official Building Regulations
in place
 Based on Current Accepted Good
Practice
 Professionalism of Consultants
& Builders

BUILDING REGULATIONS INTRODUCED
Building Control Act 1990
 Building Control Regulations 1991
 Building Regulations 1991
 Fire Safety Certification
 12 Technical Guidance Documents 1991



Operative mid 1992
Slow to bed in
Self-build minimal impact
 Large Projects adopted many parts

Updated Regs & TGDs 1997
 No Building Control Enforcement

2001 - 2014
Building Control
BUILDING CONTROL INSPECTIONS

Established 2001
Site Inspections showed very poor knowledge of
TGDs
 Small sites not aware of Guidance Documents


Building Control Officers on the Ground
Within 3 years Compliance raised considerably
 Larger sites employed Resident Engineers


Enforcement
Most Builders corrected non-compliances
 Small number of Enforcement Notices

INSPECTION SOFTWARE
BLITZ
2 way data transfer
Via Network
GPS Reading
Sketches & photos
OPINIONS OF COMPLIANCE



Weak Document
Many projects had opinions of compliance, and
when inspected had many issues
No Site Inspections by a Professional?
EXAMPLES – NO PROFESSIONAL OVERSIGHT
Rural Housing Estate – (Opinion of Compliance)
 Building Control Officer passing by!

Noticed steps outside front door
 1st Phase finished & Occupied (18 semi-D dwellings)
 Wrote & Inspected all 18 Dwellings


20 Significant Non-Compliances
Visitable WC too small & door opening in
 Water Tank in V of Pre-fab Fink Truss
 Step Front Door
 Inadequate Ventilation to Foul Drainage


12 timber frame houses constructed
all with 1.45m headroom on stairs
UPDATE KNOWLEDGE OF REGULATIONS
4 weekend Course in all parts Building Regs
 Spring & Autumn Courses
 Consultants & Graduates
 Level 8 – Single Module Certificate

BUILDING CONTROL
(AMENDMENT) REGS 2014
CERTIFICATES OF COMPLIANCE - 2014

Cert. of Compliance (Design)

Notices of Assignment
Assigned Certifier
 Builder


Undertaking - Certs. of Compliance
Assigned Certifier
 Builder


Cert. of Compliance on Completion

Assigned Certifier & Builder
C OF P – INSPECTING/CERTIFYING WORKS

Building Owner
Includes Person who Leases
 Who’s responsible for works

Designer’s Role
 Builder’s Role
 Certifier’s Role



Inspection Notification Framework
Building Control Authority
Inspection policy
 Make Concerns Known


Materials/Components

CE Marking
FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT
National Standardisation & Support
 Commencement Notices




Not Technically Assessed

Standardised Approach
Fire Safety & Access Certificates
Inspections
Risk Assessment as well as Random
 Spot Checks


Construction Products Regulations

Market Surveillance
Energy Performance of Buildings
 BCMS (Building Control Management System)

BUILDING CONTROL POLICY

Inspections Risk Assessment Spreadsheet
Building
Project
Building Complexity
Use
Murphy
2
3
O’Sullivan
4
4

Builder &
Certifiers
Location
2
5
5
5
2
1
16
(1-5)
(1-5)
(1-5)
(5 to 25)
Total
Floor
Area
Also Random Inspections
(1-5)
(1-5)
Risk
Assessment
Score
17
CURRENT SITE INSPECTIONS

Majority of Sites
Guidance Documents on Site (80%)
 Stronger Compliance visible

Consultants taking Certification Seriously
 Recent Example (Letter of Resignation)

A-Roof with raised collars (designed)
 Builder/Owner changed construction

Raised
 Timber to steel rod
 Steel rod to wire
 (NO DESIGN)


Assigned Certifier & Structural Engineer Resigned
POSSIBLE CHANGES TO SI 9?
OPTIONS BEING CONSIDERED?
1.
Make Certification Optional for Dwellings?
Majority of non-compliances with dwellings
Self-build dwellings most vulnerable
Non-Certified => Difficult to resell?
Regressive Step?
2.
Widen Group of Assigned Certifiers?
Will costs be reduced, same workload?
Will Professional Indemnity be available?
2 Tier System?
Should all pass an examination to go on a list?
Should builders also be checked/examined?
OPTIONS BEING CONSIDERED
CONTINUED?
3.
No Change – Inspection Checklist Dwellings?
TGDs backed up by Codes & Standards
Inspections only part of process
Checklist cannot cover everything
CE Marked materials, & fit for use?
Still have to sign off as compliant.
4.
Exemptions based on a building/plot ratio?
May be complex in use?
An Exemption Certificate from Planning attached to a
commencement notice, showing < 40m2 total
=> No assigned certifier required?
THE END
Let’s keep moving forward!