Britannia Acoustic & Fire: reliable fire prevention with PlanRadar

Tamper-proof audit trails for fire prevention

How fire protection contractor Britannia Acoustic & Fire use PlanRadar to document installations

The test: practical applications on-site

While Britannia’s directors briefly considered using BORIS software, after a demonstration of PlanRadar it was clear that the software was flexible and could cover all of Britannia’s needs. One challenge that was highlighted to overcome was how the site team, and subcontractors, in particular, would adapt to using an app.

In order to test PlanRadar with the site team, it was first introduced to subcontractors on a small project. During the test, subcontractors found that PlanRadar could replace all of their paperwork, which was sometimes as much as five pieces of paper that needed to be filled out before they finished their day. Once it was clear that this time could be saved, the subcontractors and site managers were enthusiastic about using PlanRadar.

Today, Britannia have used PlanRadar on more than 20 projects and intend to continue using the software on each new project in the future.

The major project: cladding remediation work

Following the successful small project test, PlanRadar’s value became even clearer on one of Britannia’s largest projects to date. The project required the installation of compartmented fire protection to the exterior of a large block of flats. With cladding already installed on the flats, Britannia’s team needed to first remove the cladding to install the necessary fire protection measures and then reinstall the cladding. This required the expertise of an abseiling team and all tasks, therefore, had additional challenges caused by working at height.

Due to new, more stringent safety regulations regarding cladding, every step would need to be thoroughly documented and photographed. This documentation would have been exceptionally time-consuming to complete manually. The client also required real-time updates so that they could monitor progress throughout the project.

PlanRadar enabled Britannia to deliver the project on time and with all of the necessary evidence safely logged. By creating tickets for each action and logging progress and photographs on a digital plan of the façade, the team was able to ensure that each element was successfully installed. They were also able to account for the materials used, the personnel involved and the date and time of each action and provide the necessary photographs.

In addition, PlanRadar’s flexible report templates made it easy for Britannia to provide their client with regular, thorough progress reports. In the end, Britannia were able to successfully complete the project and pass it to NHBC for quality control and sign off.