South Kesteven District Council

Overview

Since it was first founded in 1974, South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) has been a hub for the community within Grantham, Stamford and Bourne. With their services spanning across a variety of sectors, including the arts, business, the environment and housing – the local authority is centred around putting residents first. SKDC prioritises the safety of their residents, which creates an ideal partnership with Global’s own principal dedication to safety.

Brief –

Global received this opportunity through the LHC Procurement Group and our team was entrusted to expertly identify the best course of action required to resolve any breaches in previous firestopping works, and to synergise with the needs of the company in order to create a space that adheres to fire safety regulations.

Phil Swinton, Health and Safety Manager at South Kesteven District Council commented, “Aside from the fact that Global were ranked number one on the LHC Procurement Framework, we chose to work with them because we had met with several representatives at the Manchester Housing Expo and the enthusiasm, knowledge and experience left a big impression on colleagues who spoke with them. The Golden Thread approach to the recording and tracking along with customer access to this information via a portal only added to the interest.”

With a shared preliminary focus on safety, Global were happy to assist with the firestopping works that SKDC required to ensure the safety of residents within the estate, reaffirming our motto that “fire safety is our whole business. Through innovation and leadership – to protect people and assets”.

Situation

SKDC requested Global to carry out compartmentation surveys and technical notes to identify any inadequate compartmentation across their estate. Our team identified issues that posed a risk to the council’s ‘stay put’ evacuation policy. Our work across the South Kesteven region required a phased approach to tackle dwellings of a higher risk, with a second and third phase to follow.

Solution

In order to tackle the issue of fire doors not adhering to standards, Global used new doorsets and installed PAS24 SBD Ceasefire composite doors to ensure that compartmentation regulations were met. For communal doors, FD30s and FD60s doorsets were installed so they were compliant with fire safety standards. Our team is dedicated to creating high quality work that directly meets our client’s needs, and our Golden Thread approach means that our team was there to support every step of the process: from identifying the problem to creating a solution.

From this remediation work, Global have ensured that the fire doors are compliant with fire safety standards, and SKDC’s ‘stay put’ evacuation strategy will subsequently be adhered to so that the residents in the building can feel safe and protected. Understanding the client’s needs and collaborating with this in mind is essential to the way in which Global successfully operates.

As well as this, compartmentation was also created within the roof voids whereby fire barriers were installed, so, in the event of a fire, the building and its occupants would be sufficiently protected. Firestopping systems were also added into communal areas and suspended ceilings, and Ritherdon overboxes were installed to electrical meters.

Phil Swinton concludes, “The work completed so far has been to the standard we would expect of a company ranked number one. It has been to a very high standard with excellent communication between Global, the Council and importantly, the tenants when the teams have been on site. The customer experience for us has been first rate with swift responses to any query and we have been left with complete confidence and assurance in the works being completed.”

Results –

• Resident satisfaction of new and fully compliant front entrance doors.
• Compliance to regulatory standards achieved.
• Schemes looking refurbished with new doorsets throughout.
• Compartmentation reinstated.

Adam Thirkell, Contracts Manager at Global HSE Group commented, “Our multi-disciplinary approach to scope, enabled us to identify breaches within previous firestopping, fire doors and compartmentation defects, and thereby present the correct solutions to help overcome these concerns. Ensuring regulatory compliance with fire safety standards at a competitive price, but most importantly ensuring the safety of their residents and wider SKDC estate.

We aim to make the process as painless as possible for all involved by keeping disruption to a minimum. By liaising with the residents directly, we undertake any required works at their convenience where possible, ensuring their experience of Global is a positive one.”

Future Plans

Our project with SKDC has been ongoing for over a year, with additional work still being processed presently. With our recent passive fire and fire door installations already improving the wellbeing of the residents across the SKDC estate, and through Global’s prioritisation of our client’s needs, we have built a rapport with SKDC; and it is certainly evident that the partnership between Global and SKDC will continue to prosper.

Andrew Cooper, Managing Director of Global HSE Group added, “SKDC contacted us through the LHC Procurement Group making it simple and efficient for them to procure our services. The LHC Procurement Group brings buyers and suppliers together and we’ve continued to build a strong relationship with both LHC and SKDC as we’ve demonstrated the quality of our work and expertise in passive fire protection and technical fire engineering.

The safety of residents is central to all of the work Global carries out, and our focus on maintaining these strong customer relations through a “do it right” ethos, and quality-driven approach ensures we stand out from the crowd.”