Building Safety Leaders Unite at SertusLive 3 to Tackle Industry Challenges and Drive Safer Construction

Hosted by UK smoke ventilation manufacturer Sertus at Here East in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the event brought together representatives from the Building Safety Regulator, London Fire Brigade, building control, developers, contractors, architects, fire engineers and specialist manufacturers. With smoke ventilation providing a practical lens through which to explore wider building safety challenges, discussions examined how early engagement, clear accountability and better coordination can help translate design intent into safer, more compliant buildings.

The third instalment of SertusLive focused on moving beyond regulatory requirements to address the practical challenges of delivering building safety throughout design, construction and occupation.

From regulation to safer buildings

Among the headline speakers were Dame Judith Hackitt DBE, author of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and Charlie Pugsley KFSM, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator.

Speaking at SertusLive 3, Dame Judith emphasised that improving building safety requires more than technical knowledge and regulatory compliance, highlighting the importance of professional behaviour and accountability.

She said: “Competence is not just skills and knowledge and experience. It's behaviours. It's whether or not you do what you know you should do, even when others try and pressurise you to do something different.”

Discussions explored the challenges facing the construction sector as it responds to greater expectations around competence, accountability and compliance under the Building Safety Act. A recurring theme was the need to break down traditional industry silos, encouraging regulators, designers, contractors, building owners and fire services to share knowledge and work together. 

Smoke ventilation provided a practical example of why this matters, with system performance dependent on decisions made throughout design, specification, installation and ongoing building management.

The programme addressed five critical areas:

• Navigating Gateways 2 and 3: Understanding what successful building control applications and compliance evidence look like in practice.

• Competence and accountability: Closing the gap between regulatory requirements and their implementation on construction projects.

• Safety culture: Exploring lessons from other high-risk industries and the role of human factors in preventing failures.

• Occupied building safety: Maintaining effective fire safety measures throughout a building's operational life.

• Smoke ventilation: Exploring the importance of early smoke ventilation coordination, appropriate product specification and compliant installation, and how decisions made throughout a project can affect the performance of life safety systems.

Speaking at the event, Shane White, Managing Director at Sertus, said: "Building safety cannot be delivered by one organisation or discipline working in isolation. SertusLive 3 has focused on breaking down industry silos by bringing together regulators, designers, contractors, building owners and fire services to have the conversations that matter, challenge existing approaches and share practical experiences.

"What we've seen today reinforces the importance of collaboration, competence and making the right decisions early. Smoke ventilation is a clear example of why this matters – effective life safety systems depend on different disciplines working together from initial design through to installation and occupation. The challenge now is to turn these conversations into meaningful improvements in how buildings are designed, constructed and maintained."

Breaking down barriers across the construction industry

Expert-led panel discussions, technical sessions and live smoke ventilation demonstrations highlighted three key priorities for improving building safety:

Early engagement is vital: Speakers highlighted the importance of involving contractors and specialist suppliers earlier in the design process to identify potential risks, improve coordination and avoid costly changes later in construction. Smoke ventilation was a practical example, where early consideration of system requirements and interfaces with other building elements can help prevent installation challenges and support compliance.

Accountability must extend across the project team: Discussions reinforced the need for designers, contractors, specialists and building owners to understand their responsibilities, communicate openly and raise concerns as soon as they arise. Effective smoke ventilation depends not only on compliant products and designs, but also on the correct installation, commissioning and ongoing management of the complete system.

Turning design intent into safer, more compliant buildings: A recurring theme was ensuring that approved designs are accurately translated into completed buildings. For smoke ventilation, this means maintaining the integrity of the fire strategy through specification, installation and commissioning, supported by effective coordination, clear responsibilities and robust evidence of compliance.

Drawing parallels between aviation and construction, keynote speaker Emma Henderson MBE challenged delegates to consider the consequences of allowing safety standards to slip and the responsibility individuals have to challenge poor practice. 

She said: “Just because you know about something, it doesn't mean that that is something that's safe. We must not accept the erosion of standards, and if we want things to be safer in our industries, it starts with us.”

Her message reinforced the importance of creating a culture where concerns can be raised openly, established practices are challenged and everyone plays their part in maintaining safety.