WORRIED owners and managers of public buildings in Scotland are being offered specialist support to navigate the RAAC concrete crisis.
Those with responsibility for buildings across education, health, councils, government, the NHS and blue light services are being urged to take up the offer of free guidance at an event in Livingston on October 5.
The event will address confusion among building managers and owners, arising from the influx of ‘conflicting’ information regarding risks, necessary actions, and potential liabilities in the wake of RAAC.
Hosted at the Scottish Procurement Alliance’s (SPA) HQ in Livingston, the event will leverage the expertise of specialists Goodson Associates and Hadden Group. Those attending can learn about strategies for identification, management, mitigation, remediation, identifying qualified suppliers and expediting the repair process.
Lesley Anderson, regional director for SPA, said the event would equip building owners with comprehensive knowledge to tackle the challenges effectively. She explained, “At a time when everyone is worried about this issue, we hope to bring some calm and reassurance. Public safety is paramount in light of the RAAC crisis, but there is also a lot of hype and misinformation surrounding the whole issue.
“Therefore, it is vital that those with responsibility for public buildings can get assured and expert advice to plan their next steps appropriately. The event is certainly one not to miss as we’ll have experts from Goodson Associates who will offer valuable insights into the identification of issues, assessment of risks, effective management, and comprehensive remediation solutions. We’re also delighted to Welcome Hadden Group who will also be sharing valuable insights on how best to tackle the current issues with RAAC.
“We hope that this event will help address apprehensions as well as sharing best practices, and equipping building owners with the essential knowledge they need.”
At present, many buildings with RAAC can continue their operations safely when ‘stringent’ inspections, routine maintenance, and effective mitigation measures are implemented. However, some educational facilities have opted to temporarily close buildings containing RAAC as a precaution, owing to the challenge of ensuring regular access for necessary inspections.
The material poses a concern primarily when its structural integrity is compromised.
Steven Martin from Hadden Group said, “I’d urge as many public sector bodies as possible to attend our event, as it will look to provide awareness into the situation, as well as equipping partners with the required knowledge to enable them to deal with this situation appropriately.”
Those interested in attending the event can register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/solutions-to-identify-mitigate-and-replace-raac-tickets-717148258747
