Nicola John, managing director of Fire Door Maintenance (FDM) by UAP, discusses the importance of the 2018 Hackitt Report ‘golden thread’ recommendation in light of the Grenfell Phase 2 report. She explores why businesses must address the risks of siloed construction practices and strategies for implementing the golden thread principle.

The recent Phase 2 Grenfell report has highlighted the failings of both the tower’s materials and those involved in its maintenance.

The 2018 ‘Building a Safer Future’ report, commissioned by Dame Judith Hackitt, was a critical response to the Grenfell Tower fire. It noted that existing building and fire safety regulations and processes for constructing high-rise buildings were “not fit for purpose”.

The report’s primary recommendation was a move towards the digitisation of product information, dubbed the golden thread. It encourages effective and accurate storage and management of information concerning buildings’ designs, construction, and uses.

This is a fundamental shift in the industry’s approach to safety. The golden thread safeguards against siloed practices, where vital information could be lost or overlooked. By maintaining a comprehensive and integrated digital record, the golden thread helps ensure that safety remains at the forefront of every stage of a building’s life, protecting both the structure and its occupants.

Challenges persist

The Phase 1 report highlighted the industry’s shortcomings, with Hackitt’s foreword calling out cultural issues across the sector. Six years on, product inspection and maintenance practices on sites haven’t improved sufficiently.

A recent survey by the Construction Leadership Council found 92% of product manufacturers did not see digitisation as a major concern, and more than half saw “no need to digitise”. Many understood digitisation as using computers, instead of a comprehensive approach to maintaining and integrating critical safety information.

The industry is clearly not meeting post-Grenfell regulatory requirements for digitising product information. Digitisation is set to form part of the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2023, so those in the industry urgently need to implement the golden thread to ensure they are complying with the new laws.

The risks of siloed practices

Manufacturers, installers, inspectors, and landlords often work in isolation, focusing solely on their tasks without considering the broader impact on other building lifecycle stages.

This disconnect causes a lack of communication, with no golden thread to link information throughout construction. Without accessible product data, critical safety issues can remain hidden.

Siloed practices have had fatal consequences. The Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report highlighted catastrophic failings in the tower’s fire safety practices. Inspection and maintenance regimes were inconsistently followed – not just for the building’s cladding, but for the very fire doors that were designed to protect lives. Self-closing devices either failed or were missing entirely, exacerbating the fire’s spread and obstructing residents’ escape routes. This tragic mistake cost lives.

If a golden thread had been available, these flaws could have been identified and corrected, enabling the fire doors to perform their critical safety function. The golden thread isn’t another legal hoop for the industry to jump through: it is a fundamental change to ensure sectors work together and buildings are safe.

Implementing the golden thread

Technological advances now make it easier to maintain the golden thread. Fire doors can be fitted with Building Information Modelling (BIM) data pins that, when scanned, provide instant access to an online database with critical details like installation, inspections, and compliance – even if the door is damaged or destroyed in a fire.

However, digitisation alone isn’t enough. There is a shortage of workers trained to understand the entire lifecycle of safety products like fire doors. We at Fire Door Maintenance (FDM) are training the industry to bridge this knowledge gap.

We are the UK’s first practical fire door training centre, covering everything from regulation compliance to how and why components were chosen in product engineering, and how products are installed for the end user. This is how we are establishing a golden thread of best practice across the industry.

We’re also advocating for a central register of qualified operatives – engineers, inspectors, maintainers, and installers – so we can ensure fire doors consistently meet the highest safety standards and prevent future tragedies.

By fostering deeper understanding and ensuring seamless collaboration across the construction process, we can uphold the golden thread. This commitment is not just about legal compliance – it safeguards lives and ensures that tragedies like Grenfell never happen again.