Urgent requirement for fire risk assessments within a tight schedule.
Reason for contacting Clear:
The undertaking of fire risk assessments for residential housing stock across a large area of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. This was an urgent project due to the legalities of an impending sale of this portfolio of 67 properties of various size and occupancy type including homeless & female shelters, supported living, sheltered accommodation and drink/drug dependency units.
Following on from the risk assessments, Clear was then asked to project manage the high-risk actions across the portfolio to achieve handover and sale. A challenging six-week deadline was imposed to complete the risk assessments and a further two months was available to complete the entire remedial works.
Problems/issues identified by Clear
- Timescale - Clear was given less than six weeks from instruction to completion of the fire risk assessments. The business then had an eight-week period within which all works were to be completed.
- Geographics - The properties were spread over an expansive area of the east of England.
- Logistics - It is notoriously difficult to make contact and bookings with housing officers, particularly as this work needed to be completed over December and early January, representing the holiday season.
- Demographics of residents - most of the properties housed vulnerable adults so great care and sensitivity were required by Clear’s team of fire risk assessors.
The Clear Response
The client was concerned that the very tight timescale would render the project not viable. However, a coordinated effort between Clear’s admin team, our fire assessors and the Housing Officers allowed for fire risk assessments to be carried out and reviewed, via Clear’s online system, meeting the strict deadline. The subsequent works identified were tracked and successfully managed to hit the required completion date.
End result
Clear actually completed all the fire risk assessments a week ahead of the target date set. The contractor works for high-risk actions were also completed within the deadline. The sale of the property portfolio went ahead on time, resulting in a very satisfactory conclusion for the client.
Clear has since established an ongoing working relationship with the client’s fire safety team.
