The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced the golden thread: an accurate, up-to-date, digital record of a higher-risk building’s design, construction and management information, held by the accountable person and available to those who need it. The principle is spreading well beyond the buildings where it is mandatory, because regulators, insurers and boards all want the same thing: evidence, not assurance.
What it means for fire safety maintenance
Every fire alarm device, emergency light, AOV actuator, extinguisher and riser outlet is an asset with a location, a type, an install date, a test history and a next-due date. A maintenance contractor that records visits as a PDF per block is producing paper. One that records each asset with a unique ID and returns structured data is producing a golden thread.
What good looks like
- A verified asset register built in the first inspection cycle, with every component tagged.
- QR or barcode labels on devices, scanned on every visit so the record and the reality stay aligned.
- Data exported in your format against your data dictionary, with monthly delta files.
- Certificates, reports and photographs linked to the asset, not just the address.
- API or CSV exchange with your asset management and compliance systems.
- Change control: when a device is replaced, the old asset is closed and the new one opened, with the date and the engineer.
The Building Safety Regulator
For registered higher-risk buildings, the accountable person must produce a safety case report and keep the golden thread. Fire safety maintenance records are a core part of the evidence. If you are an accountable person, ask your contractor how their data feeds your safety case before you sign the contract.
Which buildings are higher-risk buildings?
In England, residential buildings of at least 18 metres or seven storeys with two or more residential units, plus care homes and hospitals meeting the height threshold. They must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator and have an accountable person and a safety case.
What format should asset data be in?
Whatever your asset management system can import, usually CSV or XLSX against a published data dictionary, with unique asset IDs, location, type, manufacturer, install date, last and next test dates and result. We export in your format and provide monthly delta files.