The STA Site Safe policy provides members with processes to support their customers in achieving fire safety during construction on all structural timber building system applications. The Site Safe policy is mandatory for STA membership and is independently audited, thereby providing reassurance to insurance companies, customers and third-party warranty bodies.
The Site Safe policy is structured to provide members flexibility on how they achieve the seven key points as explained in the functional requirements. The Site Safe policy has been updated to simplify the process and to reflect that all buildings, regardless of size and location, will now come under the policy.
The policy is to ensure that manufacturing members, suppliers and erectors of structural timber building systems work closely with their customers to give clear, concise information and appropriate assistance regarding fire safety on construction sites of all sizes. The STA Site Safe policy applies to all members who are employed to do work and stipulates information provision at tender stage.
When a fire risk assessment is not carried out on a site with known risks and the customer ignores good practice, for example as given in the STA guidance documents, the STA member has a duty to inform the Customer of the absence of risk mitigation. These actions are to ensure that the STA member has carried out their legal duties under CDM regulations.
Functional Requirements – this policy promotes the following points:
1: The Site Safe policy is embedded in the member’s quality procedures.
2: STA members should have a competent person(s) who can demonstrate knowledge and competence of the Association’s fire safety guidance and its implementation.
3: The STA building system supplier and or erector fulfil their legal duty for supporting the management of construction fire safety by providing, at the earliest opportunity, communications with their customer on the available fire safety guidance from the STA.
4: The STA building system supplier and or erector provides in house checks to ensure the correct information is being passed to their customer and/or the Principal Contractor and Principal Designer.
5: Principal Contractor implements an induction process that includes fire safety on all sites.
6: Undertake site visits by a competent person, appropriate for the scale of the project.
7: The STA building system supplier and/or erector provides a handover / completion document that includes a reminder of the ongoing responsibility for fire safety prior to building completion.
Members can achieve these key points in any way that suits their business model and procedures. The company will be audited on achieving the functional requirements of the policy.
Key achievements
- As part of the STA’s continuous improvement programme, raising the bar for competency and compliance – our Site Safe policy provides members with processes to support their customers in achieving quality and fire safety during the construction phase. Part of our STA Assure Membership and Quality Standards Scheme – Site Safe provides assurances to customers, insurance companies and third-party warranty bodies.
- Carried out by skilled assessors, the Site Safe audit process is designed to be supportive and informative. The in-depth assessment is particularly beneficial by highlighting areas of improvement and efficiency. The STA member then has six months to embed the Site Safe policy within their management procedures and appoint a dedicated person/s to manage the process.
- On project completion it is mandatory for a ‘handover pack’ to be given which details fire safety elements such as fire stopping and cavity barrier locations and type. The Site Safe policy document provides a method to undertake this process to safeguard members from future disputes on the presence of fire safety elements.
