THE CONSTRUCTION Leadership Council (CLC) is offering its support to the Government and building owners to help with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) problems.

The CLC expects to help with assessments of the current situation and risk levels, as well as supporting the design and delivery of any required remediation programmes across the public sector estate.

Support on RAAC

The CLC will be establishing a technical expert panel from professional bodies across the sector, as well as industry experts. This will be co-ordinated by Graham Watts, one of the leaders of the CLC’s Building Safety workstream, to provide a single industry approach to the issue.

The work of the expert panel will be supported by a communication and external engagement group to ensure that accurate information and guidance is provided to the industry and building owners.

The expert panel will develop a plan to address some of the immediate support required, including the provision of temporary buildings, and the availability and competence of inspectors.

CLC Co-Chair, Mark Reynolds, said: “The construction industry has a responsibility to ensure the safety and the confidence of the public in the buildings that are a part of the fabric of their daily lives.

“The CLC is working to co-ordinate a cross-sector response; marshalling technical expertise and industry capacity to support the Government and building owners to develop an effective programme to assist with prioritising and mitigating the risks; and developing plans to remediate buildings where required.”

Graham Watts, CLC Chief Executive, added: “While we anticipate that the majority of buildings that contain RAAC will remain safe, there is an urgent need to identify and remedy any risks to the public. As an industry we will support the programme of expert assessment of structures, both public and private, to identify where RAAC has been used and to deal with it to make it safe.

“We will be setting up two groups to take this work forward: a technical expert panel to co-ordinate our cross-industry response, as well as a communications group. We will be confirming the full membership of both groups shortly, and their work will start immediately.”

Further technical detail about the historic use of RAAC in UK construction, and the technical details of potential safety risks, are available in the guidance note and FAQ issued by the Institution of Structural Engineers.

>> Read more about RAAC in the news

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