New guidelines from the Government have been issued so that inspectors can continue to carry out normal site inspections in a controlled manner during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) updated the application of Building Regulations during the Coronavirus outbreak to say that for all building work being carried out, building control bodies should regularly check in with those who are carrying out the work.
Guidance for Building Control Bodies operating in England relates to:
- Temporary healthcare buildings and related facilities.
- General guidance for operating during the current period of social distancing.
The guidance is intended to ¨apply for the period of operation of building control during the COVID-19 outbreak while social distancing rules are in place and will be kept under review¨.
Approved Inspectors are encouraged to work closely with local authorities and the people carrying out the work to ensure that building work can continue and keeping a watch that any relaxations in building regulation requirements do not compromise essential health and safety requirements.
Even though temporary or new building are currently being erected to combat the Coronavirus, the guidance does intend to relax any building regulations at this point although this will be kept under review for the future.
The update also says that Building Control Bodies should continue to undertake normal, regular on-site inspection activity where this can be done safely, in line with Public Health England guidance. Building Control Bodies may wish to consider the use of alternative methods of checking compliance to supplement physical inspections, for example using digital photographs and video or other remote means of checking compliance.
For further information on the update, visit the .gov website here