Last amended on
28 February 2024
The new building safety regime is now here. The Building Safety Act and associated secondary legislation has changed the way the industry design and constructs buildings. Key publications and associated industry guidance are listed below:
1. Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: final report
The review’s final report which was commissioned by government following the Grenfell Tower fire to make recommendations on the future regulatory system.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-building-regulations-and-fire-safety-final-report
2. Building Safety Act 2022
The Building Safety Act, which was granted Royal Assent on 28 April 2022
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/30/contents/enacted
3. The Building Safety Act – Government Guidance
‘What it means’ guidance, links to relevant documents and secondary legislation consultation
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-building-safety-act
4. The Higher-Risk Buildings (Descriptions and Supplementary Provisions) Regulations 2023
Further legislation applying to higher-risk buildings
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2023/9780348242812/contents
5. Duty holder competencies
Duty holder competencies have been defined in a series of open British Standards
https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/industries-and-sectors/construction-and-the-built-environment/built-environment-competence-standards
6. Building Regulations Advisory Committee: golden thread report
An overview of the development of golden thread policy, and how it has been progressed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, working with the Health and Safety Executive, supported by the Building Regulations Advisory Committee golden thread working group.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-regulations-advisory-committee-golden-thread-report/building-regulations-advisory-committee-golden-thread-report#golden-thread-definition
7. Independent Review of the Construction Product Testing Regime
Documents relating to the independent review led by Paul Morrell OBE and Anneliese Day KC.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-the-construction-product-testing-regime
8. Office for Product Safety and Standards – Alerts, Reports and Recalls
Information on OPSS product safety alerts, reports and recalls for unsafe products and resources for consumers, businesses and regulators.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls?product_category%5B%5D=construction-products
9. HSE Overview of the new regime
Overview of the new regime that principal designers, principal contractors, and clients must follow when designing and constructing higher-risk buildings.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/building-safety/building-control/regime-overview.htm
10. HSE - Design and building work: meeting building requirements
What architects need to know regarding the new building regulations, new duty holder roles and associated duties.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/design-and-building-work-meeting-building-requirements
11. RIBA guidance
What architects need to know regarding the new building regulations, new duty holder roles and associated duties.
https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/riba-building-safety-act-resources-for-architects
12. Build UK guidance
Guidance for contractors and clients
https://builduk.org/information
13. CIBSE guidance
Guidance for building services engineers
https://www.cibse.org/policy-insight/key-policy-areas/building-safety-act
14. IStructE guidance
Guidance for structure engineers
https://www.istructe.org/resources/building-safety-act
15. RIBA Principal Designer's Guide
Companion guide that provides practitioners with the required knowledge regarding the Principal Designer role as it relates to the Building Safety Act.
https://www.ribabooks.com/riba-principal-designers-guide_9781915722201
Further reading
- Irresistible force meets immovable object - Construction and The Building Safety Act
The new building safety regime is now here. The Building Safety Act and associated secondary legislation has changed the way the industry design and constructs buildings. Richard Waterhouse non-exec director at the BBA gives his opinion in this introduction to an NBS collection of content that takes a detailed look at the new regime. - Article one – The Building Safety Act and it's implications for specifiers and manufacturers
The enactment of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) is one of the most fundamental changes to construction in decades. In this, the first of a series of articles from NBS, Richard Waterhouse non-exec director at the BBA looks at what the act means for specifiers and construction manufacturers. - Article two – Building control regime for higher-risk buildings – gateway 2, gateway 3 and the ‘golden thread’
One of the most discussed aspects of the new building safety regime is 'the golden thread' of digital information. In this article, Richard Waterhouse non-exec director at the BBA, examines the information gateways and the change control process that form this golden thread.
