Safety remains our top priority and we are proud to confirm that with our stringent management of fire risk, we have received British Standard 9997 (BS 9997) certification.
The BS 9997 certification sets out the best practice requirements that we as a business must follow to manage risk from fire. It measures our compliance by auditing senior management commitment, fire risk assessment procedures, the servicing and maintenance of fire safety equipment and inspections, testing carried out by our staff, as well as many other crucial elements in keeping our residents and staff safe from fire.
The BS 9997 standard sets the benchmark that all housing providers should be working towards and we are proud to be leading the way, as the first London local authority and only the second landlord in London to receive this certification.
Margaret Dodwell, CEO for Lewisham Homes, said: “Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Lewisham Homes. Receiving the BS 9997 certification for our Fire Risk Management System is a testament to the hard work and collaboration of staff across the business, who all play a part in ensuring our buildings are kept safe for our residents.”
Earning the BS 9997 certification follows a year-long process which saw our safety processes examined by auditors and approved as our staff worked closely together building on procedures to achieve this.
Andrew El-Korashy, fire and security systems manager, said: “Our residents can be assured that we have demonstrated to an independent external auditor that the arrangements we have in place to manage fire risk meet the highest standards.”
Gaining the BS 9997 certification is the first step of a three-year process, and we will continue to ensure that we maintain our high standards and improve year on year.