When the Golden Thread Building Safety Act (part of the Building Safety Act 2022) was introduced, it represented a crucial shift for the construction and fire protection industries. The goal was simple but ambitious: to ensure every element of a building’s safety—especially passive fire protection—could be digitally recorded, stored, and accessed throughout the life of a building.
But while the Act’s intent is sound, its implementation has exposed a growing problem: the very software meant to help companies comply is often what’s holding them back.
What the Golden Thread Building Safety Act actually requires
At its core, the legislation demands that those responsible for higher-risk buildings—those over 18 metres or seven storeys—maintain a digital record of safety information.
For the fire protection industry, this means:
- Capturing detailed evidence of fire-stopping installations, audits, and maintenance.
- Ensuring that all documentation remains accurate, traceable, and accessible for regulators, clients, and safety managers.
- Keeping that data digitally secure and available for the lifetime of the building.
In short, digital recording is no longer optional—it’s a compliance requirement.
When compliance becomes cost-prohibitive
Unfortunately, the cost of “going digital” has become a burden for many fire protection companies. The major software providers in the space often charge high annual fees for data recording and storage, and these costs can quickly climb as more projects and operatives come online.
For smaller contractors or subcontractors already managing tight margins, that cost pressure has real consequences. Corners get cut—not in safety intent, but in how budgets are balanced elsewhere.
We’re seeing:
- Cheaper, imitation materials replacing certified products.
- Reduced investment in training or QA processes.
- Projects being rushed to offset growing software and licensing expenses.
In an industry where the goal is life safety, those compromises are exactly what the new legislation was meant to prevent.
Data you don’t own, and can’t move
Another major concern lies in data control. Many of the largest fire protection software providers lock clients into rigid, long-term contracts. Once a company’s data—photos, certificates, reports, installation logs—is inside that platform, it often can’t be easily exported or transferred elsewhere.
That means companies:
- Lose control over their own compliance evidence.
- Face steep costs or administrative hurdles if they wish to switch provider.
- Risk being unable to access historic data if they cancel or change their plan.
The irony is striking: new regulations require companies to maintain lifelong access to their safety records, yet the tools they rely on often restrict exactly that.
The path forward for cost-effective Golden Thread Building Safety Act compliance
The future of compliance shouldn’t be dictated by high costs or locked-down systems. Digital tools are supposed to simplify fire safety management, not trap businesses in expensive, inflexible arrangements.
There are solutions emerging that aim to make compliance affordable, flexible, and transparent—the way it should be. Platforms designed around the needs of real firestoppers, not just large corporations.
One such platform, FireArrest, is taking that mission seriously—offering:
- The industry’s most accessible annual pricing, so companies can stay compliant without cutting corners.
- Flexible subscriptions, adjustable by month or year, with operative counts that can scale up or down as projects change.
Because meeting legal requirements shouldn’t mean sacrificing your margins—or your independence.
In the end, compliance should empower, not constrain.
And for fire protection professionals, the golden thread shouldn’t be a financial noose—it should be the line that connects good work, fair pricing, and safer buildings.