The Golden Thread: A Comprehensive Guide
Recently, the concept of the golden thread has been gaining increasing attention, becoming somewhat of a buzzword when it comes to maintaining better safety and quality standards in the construction industry.
In this article, we will unpack the golden thread and answer any questions you might have about it, diving into what it is, where it comes from, what it means for you, and how you can go about achieving it in your projects.
Some Context – What is the Golden Thread?
In construction, the term ‘golden thread’ refers to a digitally stored database of all the important information related to a building and the steps that should be taken to keep both the structure and its inhabitants safe. It should be the responsibility of both duty holders (clients, designers, and contractors) and accountable persons (landlords and freeholders) to maintain this database and ensure that it is readily accessible to all stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of a building.
The golden thread is part of a wider legislation, known as the Building Safety Bill, which establishes stricter regulations related to the design, construction, operation, and management of buildings that exceed 18 metres or 7 floors in height. To be within the scope of this legislation, buildings should also have at least 2 residential units.
Why is The Golden Thread Necessary?
The golden thread aims to address the problems caused by failure to effectively store and manage key information related to a building and its safety. It ensures that every person involved in the management of a building’s safety, whether directly or indirectly, can access the key information needed to identify, assess, and mitigate any safety risks that arise. Overall, its purpose is to minimise the impact of fire and structural collapse on the lives and wellbeing of building inhabitants by reducing the severity of the associated consequences.
The Principles of the Golden Thread
There are 10 key principles of the Golden Thread, as summarised from the government website:
- Accurate and Trusted
The stored and managed information within the golden thread should be as accurate and trustworthy as possible. This is important not only because it will be passed on to the next building owner and their management team, but also because it will likely serve as a key source of evidence in any regulatory compliance assessments. For this reason, before storage, all information should be double checked and verified. The golden thread can be updated over time to reflect changing circumstances, but there should be a strict change control process in place to ensure the accuracy of any adjustments.
- Safety of Residents
The golden thread allows building inhabitants to feel safer and more secure in their homes. It also provides them with a method of obtaining accountability from building safety managers when things go wrong.
- Culture Change
The Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) states that mandating the development, use, and maintenance of the golden thread will drive a broader culture change throughout the construction industry. For example, it sets higher standards for all stakeholders, with more requirements for competence, capability, working practices, processes, and information management. As well as this, the successful implementation of the golden thread requires participation and support from both previous and current stakeholders, fostering a culture of teamwork.
- Single Source of Truth
With all information related to the building and its safety stored within the golden thread, it serves as a master document or database through which permitted staff members can seek any information they need. For the golden thread to become a ‘single source of truth’, all parties should strive to prevent the duplication of this information. For example, they should refrain from providing updates by email.
- Security
To protect the privacy and security of the building and its inhabitants, it is crucial that the golden thread is secure and invulnerable to cyberattacks. For this reason, any systems used to store the golden thread of information should be General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant. Additional measures to protect this information from unauthorised access should also be put in place.
- Accountability
Serving as a validated record of all actions taken to improve the safety of the building, the golden thread can easily be used to track who did what, where, and when. Through this, all parties are held accountable for their action or inaction, as well as the resulting effects on the safety and structural integrity of the building and on the lives of its inhabitants.
- Consistency
Lack of general understanding and miscommunication are a significant barrier to the information empowerment of construction workers. With communication being an essential aspect of its successful implementation, the golden thread ensures that all parties understand the building’s issues and what needs to be done to ensure that any problems are solved, prevented, or mitigated.
To ensure that the information stored within the golden thread is consistent, useful, and easy to understand, the BRAC suggests that stakeholders use standardised methods, processes, and terminology when developing and maintaining the golden thread.
- Easily accessible
The golden thread of information should be not only readily available to those who need it but also well-organised and structured. For this reason, the BRAC recommends that the information is stored like it would be in a library, making it easy for people to find, update, and extract.
- Longevity
It is essential that the golden thread of information survives the complete duration of a building’s life cycle. To ensure this, it should be aligned with rules surrounding open data and the principles of interoperability. For example, it should be possible for contractors and new building owners to access the golden thread from any platform or software.
- Relevant
It is important to preserve the relevance of the golden thread by deleting outdated parts of the information. This provides more space to add information that is more relevant to the building’s current safety risks and issues.
How You Can Prepare
As a building owner or other construction / facilities management industry professional, it is important that you prepare to comply with the golden thread legislation. To do this, you should take the following three steps:
- Firstly, you should start working to instil a culture of building safety throughout your organisation. As part of this, you should emphasise the value of data in decision-making and promote industry ownership.
- Secondly, you should ensure that all parties are educated on how to properly manage digital information, and consider adopting digital tools, systems, and platforms to support your golden thread of information.
Mobiess
Mobiess Fire Safety Software
The Mobiess Fire Safety App is an audits and inspections platform that contains a multitude of prebuilt and ready-to-use inspection templates, including the PAS 79 Fire Risk Assessments, a comprehensive Fire Door Inspection template, and the ability to digitise other templates such as Fire Evacuation Procedures Audit, Fire Compartmentation Surveys, Fire Extinguisher Certificates and Fire Damper Service Sheets.
Mobiess’ Fire Safety module is a crucial tool for any safety and compliance team, enabling you to carry out accurate and thorough inspections to ensure the compliance of your buildings and the safety of any occupants.
The app serves as a paper-free, efficient, and accurate method of managing your audits and reports. You can identify and assess potential risks with full photographic evidence, create action plans to reduce the risk of fire-related danger in a building, add additional notes, and view high-quality reports through a web portal.
To find out more about Fire Safety and how it can help you comply with the golden thread legislation, call us on 0203 411 1795 or email us at [email protected]. To schedule an online 1 to 1 demonstration, call us or use our website.
