Structures and Asset Management SIG

The Structures and Asset Management Special Interest Group (SAM-SIG) held its January meeting in the Birmingham office of Atkins Global.  Twenty-five BPA members were present, plus three guest speakers who made the following presentations.

Philip Clark of the Building Research Establishment spoke on fire in car parks and demonstrated through a programme of full scale tests how fire can spread from car to car within a relatively short period (10 to 15 minutes).  He also illustrated the importance of sprinklers in a basement situation and the benefits of regular cleaning, removing rubbish and any flammable items. 

View presentation here

David Bone of Atkins Global spoke on Health and Safety issues and how the legislation relates to car parks.  More importantly he emphasised the importance of the ‘chain of command’ with respect to responsibility and how each person needs to do their duty and how that duty needs to be seen to have been done.

View presentation here 

Philip Grace of Aviva who insures many car park buildings spoke on how claims generally arise and how difficult it is to predict the outcome of an accident, ie if someone slips or trips the result could vary from a sprain to a permanent injury. Regular inspections and maintenance will minimise claims.

View presentation here 

The results of the Maintenance and Life-care Survey were briefly discussed and it was accepted that respondents generally cared about upkeep of their car parks and considered inclusion of structural safety within Park Mark to be beneficial.  Needless to say, there were opposing views which were possibly due to lack of knowledge and awareness of their legal responsibility. When fully analysed the findings will published in due course and presented to the Safer Parking Board.

In the knowledge that five car parks have been reported to have closed with structural fears within the last twelve months, the importance and benefits of proper Life-care needs to be formally recognised – visit Parkex at Earls Court for an update on current proposals.

The next meeting of the SAM-SIG is in April 2010, date and venue to be announced.

For further details on this Group contact Abdul Traore at abdul.t@britishparking.co.uk or call 01444 447310

A new Guide to Life-Care plans for Park Mark® Award Holders leaflet has been produced. To view and download the leaflet click here

This Award is instituted by the European Parking Association and is granted to car parks that meet a minimum requirement of quality, safety and customer friendliness.  This scheme excludes open surface car parks.