Principal Designers

Health and Safety

Undertaking works involving more than one contractor isn’t easy. At every stage of the process, there are multiple things to think about. From collating a pre-construction information pack to inviting tenders; from reviewing bids to signing contracts, every phase of a building project has to be compliant with vigorous standards.

At FFT, we act as Principal Designer on projects with more than one contractor, fulfilling statutory requirements and putting clients’ minds at ease in all aspects of health and safety.

FFT acts as Principal Designer to help you meet your statutory requirements. With our expertise on hand, the pre-construction and construction phases will be fully compliant with health and safety guidelines.

Our work involves:

  • Assisting clients to identify and obtain pre-construction information – details relating to the project’s safety are collated into a pre-construction information pack. Tenderers must consider the scheme’s health and safety hazards; sharing this information before tender enables them to do so.
  • Reviewing construction phase plans – the principal contractor will outline their safe systems of work, control measures and processes for managing health and safety throughout the construction phase. Although this is not a statutory requirement of the principal designer, clients often find it helpful for us to be involved with this stage
  • Producing the notification form F10 – When a project meets certain conditions, such as duration or number of people involved, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the project must be notified. Clients often ask us to assist with this aspect; having one party handle all aspects of the journey ensures smooth delivery
  • Maintaining regular communication with the principal contractor and collating H&S information – as works progress during the construction phase, we keep communication channels open. A key aspect of the role is ensuring the H&S file is in good order. Once we have collected and reviewed the information, we hand the file over to the client, which ends our involvement with the project

Fire Safety

Perhaps one of the most pressing aspects of health and safety, onsite and during the life of a building, is fire safety. FFT offers a range of fire consultancy services, including type 1-4 Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs); visual and intrusive Compartmentation Surveys, and Fire Door Surveys.

Ensuring remedial works have been delivered according to regulatory requirements, manufacturer’s instructions and client standards is a significant responsibility. We take this aspect of our work very seriously and frequently undertake quality inspections to ensure resident safety. This extends to surveys on external wall systems and cladding, where clients benefit from our extensive knowledge of regulations and building materials.

Serving numerous housing associations, contractors and local authority planning departments UK-wide, our dedicated fire consultancy team is led by an in-house panel of senior personnel and two qualified fire engineers, sharing several decades of experience and a unique, value-added approach that our clients know they can fully rely on.

At FFT, we work closely with all stakeholders to develop a cross-party understanding of the full impact of a project both short and long term, consulting with clients, planning authorities, residents and other affected parties. Our in-depth knowledge of building pathology, and professional ability to identify potential issues and the effects they may have on the project as a whole, means we can mitigate additional costs, avoid disputes and efficiently manage risk.

Our five-phase ‘whole life’ approach ensures we provide the most comprehensive and value-added service possible:

  1. Investigation – risk assessments, door surveys, cladding surveys
  2. Reporting – collation of evidence, summarising in a report with key findings and recommended actions
  3. Procurement – selection and facilitation of contractors for agreed works
  4. Construction – direct management of contractors, supervising and resolving issues with schedules and budgets
  5. Quality Assessment – ensuring compliance and standards, inspections passed and all relevant certifications attained

We also offer free CPD workshops for our clients’ staff, helping enhance their understanding across vital fire safety issues.