Chapter overview

The government Avanti Project,¹ now led and driven by Constructing Excellence, showed that the use of BIM provided a 60–80 per cent saving on effort spent finding information and documents, as well as a 50–85 per cent saving on effort spent receiving information and formatting it for reuse.

This chapter explains how health and safety information and the model can be used together in a productive way. It explains how ‘joined-up’ thinking, common standards and the ability of people, organisations and technology to work together and exchange information can contribute to better, safer projects. It explores the context and terminology of BIM and highlights practical ways in which the HSA can contribute to the BIM process, with reference to the following key topics:

• Collaborative working patterns with BIM and the HSA
• Contributing to the model
• What is information exchange?
• Information management and PAS 1192
• Information management and the BIM Protocol
• The Common Data Environment (CDE)
• Employer’s Information Requirements (EIRs) and BIM Execution Plan (BEP)
• Health and safety documentation in the building information model
• Digital plans of work and data drops
• Levels of model definition
• Health and safety aspects of procurement

Collaborative working patterns with BIM and the HSA

There is often a misconception that BIM is only for architects and major contractors, or that it is only applicable on large or government projects. However, for it to be effective, collaboration and contribution is needed from the whole team and all stakeholders, including the supply chain and the HSA, on all projects for which it is adopted.

The quality of the information within BIM is only as good as the ability and knowledge of the people generating it. Therefore there will always be a need for competent and experienced health and safety professionals who can ensure that significant project hazards and risks can be identified. BIM can carry out the automated ‘policeman’ compliance role, such as checking for generic, trade and workplace building regulations risks and the ‘postman’ compliance role of confirming that everyone has the relevant software, hardware and latest versions of data. However, the HSA also brings his or her ability to assess the quality of the information and ensure that this automation has a useful outcome.

Health and safety professionals ought to be the single most CDM-conversant consultants in the construction industry, and should be able to bring this expertise, together with their soft skills, to the design ‘table’, primarily to influence good design and project safety at early stages of projects while providing value for money. If HSAs only maintain a coordination role, simply sitting on the sidelines asking questions and not providing options or solutions, the profession runs the risk of becoming isolated and ultimately marginalised. HSAs do not need to be experts in BIM’s technical aspects. It is sufficient for them to be familiar with the principles. Consider, for example, Google Maps and the amount of information behind it. We do not need to know how the tool works, but we do need to know how to interpret the information and how to link it to other practical applications.

For BIM to be truly efficient, information needs to flow through the whole of the construction process, from briefing to facilities management (FM) stages, via a number of different construction professionals including the HSA. This information also needs to be useful at the end of the asset life, during its demolition stage, to allow the building to be safely ‘deconstructed’.

For the process to work, the construction industry needs to move further towards collaboration and coordinated information while working in an environment of open standards and interoperability. It is not enough to attempt to operate simply in a ‘spirit of mutual trust and cooperation’, as some of the advocates of ‘partnering’ may suggest. The HSA needs to fully integrate their working methods with the other members of the team in a more formal way, and the requirements of the model will provide the discipline to enforce this.

A consistent classification system will also support a model of collaborative working. Classification allows construction work to be systematically arranged into headings and subheadings that include construction elements, systems and products. The industry needs to move further towards a single recognised system. Uniclass (Unified Classification for the Construction Industry) is a classification system maintained by the Construction Project Information Committee (CPIC). It allows a common ‘language’ and structure to be applied to specifications, so that, for example, brickwork or concrete work can be described using the same set of rules by both the designer and the quantity surveyor. This is the cornerstone of BIM, because consistency of terminology is vital for the logic of BIM to work in practice.

Contributing to the model

The HSA may contribute to the model in a number of ways, and in a variety of different formats. For the most part, his or her method of contribution will depend upon the type of information, and the point at which it is added.

There are three principal types of person who handle information in BIM:

• Generators, who produce the basic information (for example, the architect will produce specifications, or ‘As Records’ drawings)
• Reviewers, who assess and analyse the information (such as the services engineers)
• Receivers, who are the end users of the information – such as a client, who may then apply this information to visualisations; or a contractor, who requires product details and installation instructions; or subsequent owners or occupiers, who will be given operating and maintenance information

Whether you are a generator or a reviewer of information, it is important to be mindful of earlier and later possible uses of that information, and how it will continue to be applied and reused throughout the asset life cycle.

To begin with, a project model is likely to comprise a set of several individual but linked (‘federated’) building information models, each produced by the individual contributors, as opposed to one large, single, integrated BIM. It will include both associated non-graphical data and linked documentation. Think of this as a number of consultants’ drawings, with the information subsequently transferred to a single ‘master’ set.

As we have already noted elsewhere, information may be drawn, written or tabulated, then added directly to the building information model or contained in associated documents. It may constitute primary information (‘first-hand’, such as a drawing) or secondary information (derived from primary information following assessment, such as a report or a health and safety plan).

Although the HSA could be involved in the production of information at any one of these levels, health and safety data usually comprises secondary information. A designer will produce his or her design, but the HSA will typically undertake the ‘review’ role, assessing and reporting on the possible hazards and associated risks. This is the HSA’s specialist area, and it is where he or she adds real value to the process.

Occasionally, ‘tertiary’ information will be used – a combination of linked primary and secondary information. A ‘user guide’ or Health and Safety File would fall into this category, employing primary drawn information together with ‘reviewed’ secondary information.

What is information exchange?

In a BIM world, information is collated, produced, submitted and retrieved digitally. ‘Digital information’ is simply the term given to data that is converted to an electronic format so that it can be exchanged, usually in a computerised environment. The benefit of creating it as digital information is that it can be manipulated to suit different contexts, requirements and exchanges. As the name suggests, information exchange is simply the sharing and receiving of data between members of a team. It tends to occur at a number of predefined stages during a project, known as data drops. An example might be the export of all data for tendering purposes. For the HSA, it could be the generation of a report or risk register setting out the position with regard to a particular aspect of a property set from the model – eg, a list of all the properties required to produce a COSHH data sheet.

The precise details and format of each data drop on a particular project (see below) are usually described within a BIM Protocol. The HSA should pay particular attention to the native or proprietary file format and the exchange schema outlined in the BIM Protocol, as this will determine what he or she needs to include and how he or she should transfer information in the data drops.

In the BIM environment, for effective information exchange information should ideally be:

• Open and accessible. The importance of interoperability is becoming more apparent as we begin to use a greater number of different pieces of software. To achieve BIM’s full potential, a robust mechanism is required to handle the ever-increasing levels of digital data, regardless of which software package or BIM platform is used. We cannot rely on propriety data formats being supported in years to come – computer scripting programming languages are evolving all the time. An open standard, such as IFC, allows information to be translated back and forth from a single format in order to be compatible with all other applications supporting the same standard.
  • Standardised and structured. We know that sharing information, drawings and schedules in an agreed and consistent manner can bring about cost savings and reduce waste. Information also needs to be structured so that it is consistent and can be easily interpreted.
  • Controlled using an understood vocabulary. To achieve this aim, we require standards for particular terms relevant to the subject matter.

The British Standard document Building information models - Information delivery manual² defines many of the terms used in BIM information exchange, while the data dictionary (bSDD) based on ISO 12006-3:2007 provides their meaning.³ From a health and safety perspective, this vocabulary must support the identification of hazards and the assessment of risks. A health and safety professional will also need to be familiar with BIM terms like COBie, Open BIM, IFC and Schema. These terms are explained in the glossary.

Information management and PAS 1192

When the design profession moved from the drawing board to CAD, BS 1192 (first published in 1998) provided a guide for the structuring and exchange of CAD data. Revised in 2007 and given the new title Collaborative Production of Architectural Engineering and Construction Information, this standard gave more emphasis to collaboration so that data can be effectively reused. It promoted the avoidance of wasteful activities such as waiting and searching for information; overproduction of information, with no defined use; over-processing of information, simply because the technology allowed it; and defects caused by poor coordination across the graphical and non-graphical data set, which would require reworking.

However, all standards need to be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect current practice and future direction, and the second iteration of this document saw the development of a standard that supports information management in the BIM environment. This document is PAS 1192-2:2013 Specification for information management for the capital/delivery phase of construction projects using building information modelling, and it is accompanied by BIM: A standard framework and guide to BS 1192. This latter, guide, document covers the processes and procedures required for public project delivery, such as the BIM Protocol, a digital plan of work, Employer’s Information Requirements (EIRs) and COBie. It is one of a number of documents supporting the government’s strategic objectives. BS 1192 is at the core of PAS 1192-2:2013, and both support and underpin the means of achieving Level 2 BIM compliance. PAS 1192-2 was sponsored by the Construction Industry Council (CIC), and is free to download from www.bimtaskgroup.org

PAS 1192-3 Specification for information management for the operational phase of construction projects using building information modelling, is a partner document to PAS 1192-2. While Part 2 concentrates on the delivery phase of projects, Part 3’s focus is on the operational phase of assets, being about the availability, integrity and transfer of data and information during this phase.

The document specifies how information from the Project Information Model (PIM) is transferred to the Assets Information Model (AIM), or how an AIM is created for an existing asset. Of equal importance is how information is then retrieved and passed on to an existing business support application, such as a database. Part 3 describes a mixture of both planned and unplanned events in the life of an asset, which could occur in any order between the point of handover and disposal.

Information management and the BIM Protocol

With any information model, there are some basic questions which need to be asked. What is the source of the information? How will information be used later on with other consultants? Where and how is it kept? Who ‘owns’ it, and what does it represent? These questions need to be addressed by all the participants, but particularly by the HSA, who will have specific needs depending on his or her role in the project.

In response to the government’s BIM strategy, and in support of Level 2 BIM, the Construction Industry Council has, together with other supporting documentation, produced the CIC BIM Protocol. This concise document has only eight clauses. It highlights the minimum legal and commercial requirements that apply when using BIM on a project, clarifying the rights, responsibilities and liabilities of each of the parties involved, including those of the HSA. It also encourages parties to adopt common standards and working methods, such as those set down under PAS 1192-2. The protocol features a prototype production-and-delivery table to clarify which models are required at the different stages of a project, who is responsible for the information at each data drop or work stage, and the required level of detail.

To maintain the integrity of this information, the CIC BIM Protocol mandates an information manager, whose main responsibilities are assimilating, synchronising and managing information, including the use of a Common Data Environment (see following section). The CIC has also published its Outline Scope of Services for the Role of Information Management, First Edition, 2013,⁴ which gives further details on this subject.

The role of information manager is usually incorporated into existing appointments rather than being a separate stand-alone appointment, with the BIM Task Group suggesting that the ‘best fit’ would be either the ‘Design Team Leader’ or the ‘Project Lead’. It is expected that this role may shift from design team to contractor prior to start on site.

While the information manager is not a designer (although a design background is advantageous), the skill set required of him or her is perhaps most closely linked to that of the CDM Coordinator required by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations – a role which is already successfully carried out by the HSA. Both are concerned with handling and interpreting information, as opposed perhaps to a BIM consultant who will be more concerned with the design and operation of the building information model itself. In the same way as it is advisable to make sure the boundaries are not blurred between a design and a CDM-C role, the activities of an information manager should be separated from the design process.

The CIC protocol suggests that the information manager be responsible for managing, initiating, agreeing and implementing a ‘Project Information Plan’ and ‘Asset Information Plan’. This task covers a number of key areas, which are also of significance to the HSA. The two will therefore need to develop a good working relationship. Particular considerations include:

• Responsibility for the provision of information at each stage.
• The processes and level of detail of information required for specific project outputs. This could include ‘as-constructed records’, testing, and validation/commissioning information. This information may also form part of the Health and Safety File (and/or Operation and Maintenance manuals⁷.
• Given the close working relationship that the information manager and HSA need to have, there is a compelling argument that the HSA is ideally placed to undertake the information manager’s role.

The Common Data Environment (CDE)

In order for information to be added or extracted in the most convenient way, it should be held in the model in what is known as a common data environment (CDE). This is simply a place in which information about a project is shared, and which therefore allows all information – including that pertaining to health and safety – to be based upon a ‘single source of truth’. Although this data is shared and can be reused, its ownership will remain with its originator, and it is only the originator of that information who can alter, change or update it. This approach relies on a rigorous process of structuring data, but its benefits are that information can be better used in both construction planning and activities later in the project, and that any number of documents can be generated from different combinations of model files.

Examples of a CDE could be a project extranet or a project server. The information manager may host the CDE as an additional service. Information will go through a number of ‘approval gates’ or sign-off procedures, including a series of checks, the nature of which will depend on the type of information and the point at which it is added. These are as follows:

Starting at a Work In Progress (WIP) point, information is transferred to a shared location (‘Gate 1’) for other team members to use as reference only after a number of checks are performed. These will include checks for model suitability, technical content, COBie completeness and drawings-extract checks, along with checks on any additional documentation that is shared as part of a coordinated package of information. Although the HSA is not directly involved in the approval of this information, he or she should have been giving advice and guidance throughout the process.

Once information is authorised by the client/employer or the employer’s representative (‘Gate 2’), it is moved to a published documentation area of the CDE, where it can be accessed by other members of the team, including the HSA.

Finally, information is verified (‘Gate 3’) and is transferred to the archive section of the CDE, which serves as an audit trail. ‘As-constructed’ information that may be used for the Health and Safety File is checked and verified in the published section, and follows the same transition through to the archived section, once verified.

The HSA will need to be able to receive and read 2D, 3D, textual and numerical information at all of these different stages. They will potentially be in a number of different formats, as defined in the EIR, in order to be a part of the BIM process. For example, if working on a centrally procured government project, PAS 1192-2 states that the delivery of this data will be in a number of forms including ‘native’ (product-proprietary) file formats, COBie-UK-2012 configuration and read-only PDF.

Ideally, the number of these different formats will be as small as possible. However, the advantage that an open-source format such as IFC brings is that it only requires a single viewing software application to display all the information.

Employer’s Information Requirements (EIRs) and the BIM Execution Plan (BEP)

Employer’s Information Requirements (EIRs) are a crucial part of the BIM process, as they are used to describe precisely which models are required on a project and what the purposes of those models will be. Produced for use during the procurement of a project, as part of a tender, the EIRs describe the employer’s needs and serve as a key document that will be used to evaluate the subsequent BIM planning.

Clause 5.3 of PAS 1192-2 defines the minimum EIRs, and the government’s BIM Task Group has also produced a ‘standard’ BIM EIR template.⁵

The core content and guidance within the EIR template comprises three sections: Technical, Management and Commercial. Within the management section, item 1.2.7, Health and Safety/Construction Design Management, provides a section allowing the employer to define how BIM-based working will support health and safety and CDM monitoring, aligned with the work stages. Data and records-capture processes for each stage also need to be documented in the EIR template.

Table 3.01 : Extract from Employer’s Information Requirement

The requirements of the EIR are implemented through the BIM Execution Plan (BEP). This document is prepared for suppliers in response to the EIR in order to explain how the information modelling aspects of a project will be carried out. Depending on the nature of the project this can be a complex technical document, for the development of which the employer will look towards the design and project leads for assistance.

The BEP is submitted pre-contract to show how the requirements set out in the EIRs will be met, and in more detail post-contract to explain the methodology for delivering the BIM project. Of particular relevance to health and safety is the requirement in response to the EIR by PAS1192-2 Clause 5.3 a) 6). This states that HSE and CDM requirements for bidders should contain proposals for BIM-supported health and safety plans and CDM management.

PAS 1192-2 requires that the ‘Design Team’ and ‘Constructor’ (as defined) should each include an outline BEP in their proposal. In addition to information requested as part of the tender process, the BIM Task Group suggests that ‘a comprehensive initial BEP will include the following content:

• the Project Implementation Plan;
• project goals for collaboration and information modelling;
• major project milestones consistent with the project programme; and
• project information model deliverable strategy’.

Health and safety documentation in the building information model

The HSE advises that documentation on health and safety should be both functional and concise. The emphasis should also be on its effectiveness for all users, rather than on sheer volume of paperwork (a general criticism of CDM). Suitable records must be retained, and are a legal requirement in some cases: for example, a record of risk assessments under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). Traditionally, documentation such as the Health and Safety File forms part of a cumbersome operation and maintenance (O&M) document, most likely a series of lever-arch files that are consigned to a cupboard at the end of a job. With all this digital information flowing through the project, how can we harness it to make new digital health and safety files containing information that is more accessible?

It is important that any process of producing documentation does not become the main focus of an enterprise, and thus a distraction from actually controlling risks and addressing any ‘human’ elements of its implementation. If information is structured correctly, this documentation could potentially be an output of the building information model.

Digital plans of work and data drops

Health and safety consideration is an ongoing process throughout a project’s duration, but in order to successfully identify hazards and risk, and then develop effective mitigation, we need to provide the correct information at the relevant project stage.

Information requirements will change as a project develops. At the outset the requirements may involve just enough information for space planning purposes, but at later stages information is required to help the asset reach its optimal performance. The new CIC digital plan of work has eight clear project stages (from 0 to 7) and has been developed by all the construction industry institutions working in collaboration. There is no doubt that change management will have to feature heavily in any BIM implementation strategy. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has also updated its plan of work to align with this new digital process – its most comprehensive update in 50 years, in fact. These new project plans must be taken into account when pinning down data drops.

There cannot be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ project plan that meets the needs of every organisation and all projects. In paper format, a publication is static; it can only be viewed in one way. However, if the words in a publication are structured digitally and built into a web application then they can be presented to users at the most appropriate times. One significant improvement to the RIBA Plan of Work is the accompanying website, www.ribaplanofwork.com. It allows users to customise the plan to their practice or project by providing the option to select and define the procurement route, combine certain work stages and choose the optimum time to go for planning application – although the Core Objectives of each stage of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 are fixed and cannot be altered.

There follows an example of where health and safety is relevant at each stage in the new RIBA Plan of Work, and the roles that may be undertaken by the HSA:

Table 3.02 Data exchanges relating to the RIBA Plan of Work 2013

Levels of model definition

By stipulating the minimum levels of detail needed in a model, we can begin to schedule a Model Production and Delivery Table (MPDT) to show which models are required at different stages of the project, and what level of detail is needed to meet the specified project-stage data drops. PAS 1192-2 explains the ‘level of model detail’ (LOD) as the description of graphical content of models at each of the stages, and the ‘level of model information’ (LOI) as the description of non-graphical content of models at each of the stages defined, the details of both of which can be found in the CIC Scope of Service). Collectively, LOD and LOI are often referred to as the ‘level of definition’. The precise details of these will be defined in the EIR and the CIC BIM Protocol. For this information to be fully understood by all, the levels of model definition shall be ‘articulated’ in the BEP. The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 emphasises the importance of a ‘Design Responsibility Matrix’. This not only addresses the responsibilities of the design team, but also (and of equal importance) the interface between consultants and the specialist subcontractors employed by the contractor. It further defines the core project roles, and refers specifically to the role of ‘Health and Safety Advisor’.

Be careful of acronyms, however. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) uses the acronym ‘LOD’ to refer to ‘level of development’. However, the term ‘level of detail’ is sometimes used to describe how much detail is going into the ‘model’. In this guide, level of development means the degree to which an element’s geometry and attached information have been thought through. Perhaps the best approach is to think of ‘level of detail’ as the ‘input’ and ‘level of development’ as the ‘output’.

The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 also provides its own definition as to what is meant by ‘level of detail’. Although BIM changes the traditional approach (that of a drawing being produced at an ‘output’ scale – eg, 1:5, 1:100, 1:500) to one of ‘purpose’, the plan acknowledges that this transitional subject is in an ‘embryonic’ state, so the information exchange table is conceived in a manner that considers scale. From the HSA’s perspective, this means that different methodologies and approaches to assessment and review can be adopted.

Health and safety aspects of procurement

A number of documents give guidance on how to secure the correct person to do a job, and how to assess competence in both BIM and health and safety. Several are in the process of being updated to incorporate references to BIM:

• PAS 91:2013 Construction Prequalification questionnaires is a free Publicly Available Specification (PAS) which provides a set of questions that are to be asked by buyers of potential suppliers, to assist prequalification for construction projects. It also specifies requirements for the consistent use of these questions across projects of varying sizes and types, including in respect of the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) procurement thresholds for public sector procurement. It is intended that these questions also be used by those assessing applications in their intermediary role between buyers and suppliers. PAS 91 contains some new questions that may be used in prequalification questionnaires, which have specific references to BIM. Health and safety is dealt with under the heading of ‘technical competence’ – a considerable leap forward from some earlier standards, in which it was not mentioned at all! Much work has been done on this topic by Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP): www.ssip.org.uk

The NBS Guide to Tendering for Construction Projects already contains references to an earlier version of the PAS. JCT Tendering Practice Note (2012) has general references to BIM and electronic procurement.

Conclusion

Health and Safety Advisors (HSAs) are experts in process – whether it be concerned with information exchange, management or use. It can be seen that BIM brings a renewed discipline and structure to the proceedings, but that serves mainly to crystallise the many opportunities that are already available to add value to the project. Using the protocols, plans of work and information developed from the Employer’s Information Requirements (EIRs) to assist in the creation and management of the model and its outputs, the HSA is ideally placed to do this. HSAs are also uniquely qualified for this role thanks to their skills in information management and construction, and their particular aptitude at considering the ‘buildability’, ‘maintainability’ and ‘usability’ of a project.

Learning outcomes

After reading this chapter, you should be able to understand:

• The BIM landscape and its terminology
• The protocols and documents that shape the BIM process
• How and when health and safety information can be added to the building information model, and the level of detail required