Blog:
The critical role of information management in building safety

The recent Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report is a stark reminder of the construction industry’s responsibilities for the safety of built assets. As well as condemning the negligence and dishonesty, the report also exposes failures in the information value chain.

Many of these gaps could have been avoided with a more robust and accountable information management system. This is now known as the Golden Thread. The Golden Thread is not just a regulatory requirement but a vital element in maintaining the safety of a building throughout its lifecycle, from design to demolition.

The Golden Thread, as mandated in the Building Safety Act 2022, is intended to guarantee that information about a building’s fire and structural systems is consistently updated, accessible and accurate. With a transparent, comprehensive and secure information system in place, the Golden Thread plays a pivotal role in mitigating or even preventing tragic outcomes like that of Grenfell.

What is the Golden Thread?

The Golden Thread is the foundation of building safety management. It encompasses all the information needed to understand and maintain a building’s safety throughout its lifecycle, from design through to construction, occupation, maintenance and, ultimately, demolition.
It includes all the data and documents necessary to understand and maintain the building’s safety, particularly concerning fire and structural risks.

This information needs to be accurate, accessible and importantly up-to-date. Building Information Modelling (BIM) enables this process, ensuring that data is collected, structured and properly maintained. The Building Safety Act regulation, particularly for Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), places legal obligations on asset owners, designers, contractors and operational teams to collect and manage data.

The only way to truly operationalise the Golden Thread is through a centralised, digital system. This is usually an Asset Information Management Common Data Environment (AIM CDE). When properly maintained during operation, it offers an immutable audit trail that shows all changes and decisions made at each stage of the asset’s life cycle.

Maintaining the Golden Thread

One of the most crucial aspects of the Golden Thread is its continuity from the initial design stages through to the eventual demolition of a building. This unbroken record ensures that every decision, modification, and maintenance activity is documented. This enables asset owners and managers to keep the building safe throughout its lifecycle.

At each stage the Golden Thread evolves so it should be regularly updated. This ensures it reflects any structural changes or adjustments to fire safety systems, demonstrating compliance with regulations and safety standards. When the time comes for a building’s demolition, the Golden Thread will still serve as a vital reference, capturing the history of its structural and safety-related decisions.

The Building Safety Case

A key regulatory component introduced by the Building Safety Act is the Building Safety Case. This is essential for demonstrating that fire and structural safety risks are being actively managed throughout the lifecycle of HRBs. It includes all relevant information about a building’s fire safety strategy, structural systems and ongoing maintenance efforts, ensuring that these systems are performing as expected to safeguard occupants.

The Building Safety Case is not a static record.It must be regularly updated and maintained as part of the Golden Thread. The Building Safety Regulator has the authority to request access to the Building Safety Case at any time to verify that safety protocols and records are in place and up to date. Failure to provide this information or to demonstrate ongoing safety management can lead to significant regulatory penalties.

A well-maintained Golden Thread ensures that the Building Safety Case is always available and can be quickly produced when required by the regulator.

The Golden Thread during operation

Operational teams are the driving force for the Golden Thread. They rely on the quality and accessibility of the data provided. For the Golden Thread to succeed, asset owners must update information post-construction, ensuring that any changes, inspections and maintenance records are documented.

The Golden Thread is not a static data set but must evolve with the building’s life. The Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) latest guidance suggests that this will be extended to a broader range of buildings in the future. The Golden Thread is also key to addressing challenges like net-zero targets and sustainability. This data will not only drive regulatory compliance but also enable potential cost savings and support decision-making.

Reducing risk with data

One of the report’s critical findings from the Grenfell Inquiry was the lack of structured, accessible information on the building’s materials and systems. Asset owners must take proactive measures to survey their buildings, especially older ones, for missing information so they have comprehensive fire and building safety data.

By following ISO 19650 standards and ensuring data is collected in a consistent, structured format, asset owners and operational teams can minimise risks and streamline future inspections, renovations and audits. This is especially crucial for organisations with federated estates that must manage vast amounts of building data across multiple assets.

Are O&M manuals still needed?

While BIM and structured data are critical, documents like O&M manuals and H&S files are still needed. The Golden Thread is not just a collection of data. The combination of documents and structured information provides the essential context to that data. For example, a fire strategy needs a narrative to tie together the data points. This ensures that the strategy is understandable and actionable for those who will maintain the building’s safety. It is the integration of these documents into the O&M manuals and H&S handover files that provides a full picture of the building’s safety framework.

A call for change

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report is a clear signal that the industry must change – and quickly. As bans on public sector contracts loom for those companies implicated in unsafe practices, the broader industry must step up to ensure that another tragedy never happens again. This means not only ensuring compliance with existing regulations but embracing a cultural shift toward transparency and accountability.

Here to help

We can help asset owners, contractors and operational teams to implement robust asset information management systems that prioritise safety and compliance.

Get in touch to talk to our team.