The tragic Grenfell Tower fire that occurred in 2017 was a devastating wake-up call for the building industry and regulatory bodies. It exposed critical flaws in the current system and highlighted the urgent need for a major overhaul to ensure the safety of residents in high-rise buildings.
In response to the Grenfell tragedy, the UK government introduced the Building Safety Bill, which has now been implemented and sets up the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). This new regulatory framework aims to change attitudes, behaviors, and culture across the entire built environment to ensure that residents are safe and feel safe in their homes.
But what exactly does this mean for those involved in the building industry? What are the implications of the Building Safety Bill? In this article, we will explore the key points of the Building Safety Bill and discuss what steps need to be taken by building professionals to comply with this new legislation.
The Three Functions of The Building Safety Regulator
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a broad remit across all aspects of the built environment. Its main functions can be summarized into three areas:
- Oversight of the Wider System:
The BSR will oversee and regulate both the safety and performance of all buildings in the UK. This includes setting up a new Building Advisory Committee, which will advise on information to the BSR in the exercise of its functions. It will also establish a regulated building control profession, setting operational standards and rules for both public and private sector building control professionals.
- Promoting Competence:
Another key function of the BSR is to promote competence across all building professionals, including architects, designers, tradespeople, contractors, and building control professionals. This means ensuring that all those involved in designing and constructing buildings are suitably competent and have the organizational capability to do so safely.
- Higher Risk Buildings:
Under the new regulatory framework, the BSR will also have specific responsibilities for higher risk buildings (HRBs). These are buildings that are currently over 18 meters in height or at least seven stories and have two or more residential units. The BSR will act as the building control authority for HRBs and will oversee a new safety case regime for these buildings.
Planning Gateway One: Addressing Fire Safety at the Planning Stage
One of the key recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackett in her independent review of building regulations and fire safety was to consider fire safety at the planning stage of a building’s design. This led to the establishment of Planning Gateway One, a new regime brought forward by the HSE ahead of the Building Safety Act.
The aim of Planning Gateway One is to ensure that fire safety is considered as an integral part of the design process for all relevant buildings. Relevant buildings are those that fall under the definition of higher risk buildings, as mentioned earlier.
The approach to fire safety in planning has historically been lacking, with little consideration given to it during the design stage. This has led to complex and costly fire engineering solutions being used at the building regulation stage, often as a Band-Aid solution to issues that could have been resolved earlier in the process.
Since August 2021, Planning Gateway One has been assessing planning applications for developments that include relevant buildings. This involves assessing the layout, appearance, and potential interactions between different parts of the building to identify any fire safety concerns.
The Importance of Competence
One of the key focuses of the Building Safety Bill is to promote competence across all building professionals. This is crucial in ensuring that safe and compliant designs are produced from the very beginning.
Competence refers not only to technical knowledge and skills but also to organizational capability. It is essential for all building professionals to have a thorough understanding of fire safety principles and how to apply them in their designs. They must also have the resources and support to ensure these principles are implemented effectively.
What Must You Do Now?
For building professionals, it is essential to familiarize themselves with the Building Safety Bill and its implications. They must also ensure that they are promoting competence within their organizations and working with competent partners to produce safe and compliant designs.
In addition, for those working on higher risk buildings, it is vital to understand the new safety case regime and work closely with the Building Safety Regulator to ensure compliance.
What Must You Not Do Now?
It is equally important for building professionals to understand what they should not do now. This includes not ignoring fire safety considerations at the planning stage or relying solely on complex fire engineering solutions at the building regulation stage. It is crucial to address fire safety from the very beginning of the design process.
Who Signs Up?
Finally, it is imperative to understand who needs to sign up to these changes. The building industry as a whole must commit to promoting competence and ensuring that all buildings are safe for residents. This includes architects, designers, contractors, tradespeople, building control professionals, and everyone else involved in the process.
Conclusion
The Building Safety Bill and the establishment of the Building Safety Regulator mark a significant step towards ensuring the safety of residents in high-rise buildings in the UK. It is now up to all building professionals to embrace these changes and work together to promote competence, address fire safety at the planning stage, and create safe and compliant designs for all buildings. By doing so, we can help prevent another tragedy like Grenfell from ever happening again.
