Ensure Building Safety Act Compliance
Project information is often scattered. Information required to make decisions or defend situations is either absent, outdated, incomplete or incorrect. This leads to delays, extra costs and issues.
SymTerra eliminates uncertainty from site. We make it easy for teams and contractors on site to communicate with the project team.
With integrated, immediate communication, you can effortlessly meet the requirements of the Building Safety Act, keeping your project documentation fully compliant and organised from start to finish.
Understanding the Building Safety Act
The Building Safety Act, which came into force in 2021, establishes comprehensive regulations for high-rise residential buildings, aiming to significantly enhance building safety and standards. It introduces a more stringent approach to managing safety risks throughout the lifecycle of a building—from design and construction to occupation—emphasising the need for comprehensive documentation and evidence of compliance.
Key items to be aware of:
Mandatory risk assessments at different construction stages to identify and mitigate potential safety hazards.
Digital documentation of construction processes and safety measures, ensuring a transparent and traceable record of compliance.
Continuous compliance with safety standards, requiring ongoing oversight and management to ensure buildings remain safe for occupants over time.
Failure to comply with the Building Safety Act can lead to severe penalties, including fines and restrictions on building occupancy. This underscores the critical importance of maintaining rigorous documentation and evidence management to demonstrate compliance.
Building Safety Act Compliance Requirements
The Building Safety Act emphasises the need for digital tools in managing and storing documentation in an organised manner, highlighting the importance of data portability and ground-up access.
Key items to note:
Digital documentation is mandatory.
Documentation must include detailed records of safety assessments, designs, and construction processes.
Compliance evidence needs to be accessible and easily shareable with the Building Safety Regulator.
Quality and clarity of evidence are crucial for demonstrating compliance.
Read our BSA article featured in Build in Digital:
Building Safety Act: Data portability and ground-up access key to business survival
Hear us discuss the BSA with RICS:
How can technology support implementation of the Building Safety Act
How SymTerra can help you comply the Build Safety Act, removing the pain from handovers, completions, and compliance.
SymTerra is more than just a documentation tool; it’s a comprehensive solution for managing your construction project's compliance with the Building Safety Act. Digitise your compliance processes, enhance data portability, and ensure ground-up access to crucial information, meeting the highest standards of information management across your operations.
Snap Tap and Go
Capture comprehensive data. SymTerra allows photographic and video evidence to be captured on site directly from your phone.
Easily document every aspect of your works, from safety assessments to compliance checks.
Add Additional Detail to Your Photos Directly On-Site
Features include instant markup to highlight specific details enhancing your internal project and works records.
Time and date stamped photos for full assurance.
Add Tags & Location
Utilise SymTerra’s features to tag documents with location data and detailed descriptions, ensuring every piece of evidence is organised and easily retrievable.
Simply press “Add Location” in your SmartNote to capture where the photos are taken using GPS.
An Evidenced & Organised Works Record
SymTerra automates the organisation of your compliance documentation, making it easy to store, search, and share with stakeholders and regulators.
Quickly find evidence with powerful search capabilities (we work with Google Cloud). Compliance made simple.
Digital Works Record Dashboard & Easy Compliance Reporting
Build and share your own real-time dashboards to show compliance.
Gateway 3 compliance for higher-risk residential buildings is made easy.
Why WhatsApp Falls Short for Building Safety Act Compliance
While WhatsApp is a popular tool for quick communication and photo sharing, it lacks several critical features necessary for compliance with the Building Safety Act. Here's why WhatsApp is not suitable for managing compliance requirements under this act:
Data Security and Privacy
WhatsApp's general data security protocols may not adequately protect sensitive project information, posing risks to data privacy and compliance.
SymTerra offers robust data security measures, ensuring that all project data, including compliance documentation, is securely stored and protected against unauthorised access
Structured Documentation and Audit Trails
The Building Safety Act requires detailed and accessible documentation of safety measures, assessments, and compliance evidence. WhatsApp’s conversational format makes it difficult to maintain organised and structured documentation.
SymTerra provides comprehensive documentation tools with structured audit trails, ensuring that all information is easily accessible and verifiable by regulatory bodies.
Quality of Evidence
WhatsApp compresses images and videos, which can degrade the quality of photographic evidence, potentially rendering it non-compliant with the Building Safety Act's standards.
SymTerra maintains the original quality of all images and videos, ensuring that the evidence meets compliance requirements.
Efficiency and Accessibility
Managing and retrieving compliance-related documentation from WhatsApp can be cumbersome and time-consuming, given its limited search and organisation features.
SymTerra's powerful search capabilities and organised project folders make it easy to manage, access, and share compliance documentation with stakeholders and regulators.
Integration with Other Compliance Tools
WhatsApp does not integrate with other construction management or compliance tools, making it difficult to maintain a cohesive compliance strategy.
SymTerra seamlessly integrates with a wide range of tools, ensuring that all compliance-related data is centrally managed and accessible.
Bring the whole project together
Unlimited users
Everyone on the team can download SymTerra for free and join the project, including your subcontractors.
Collect more data, have more visibility and make sure the project runs smoothly.
Control your data
