New Building Safety Deadline: Are you compliant?

The Grenfell Tower fire has prompted a review of existing legislation on fire safety standards and building regulations. New legislation is due to come into force on 6^th April 2023 and will make provisions for high-risk buildings. The Compliance People consultant Alison Long looks at this important change.

A high-risk building is any building that:

• contains 2 or more rooms used for residential purposes; and
• is 18 metres above ground level or has 7 or more storeys.

Owners and operators of high-rise buildings must now:

• register with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR); and
• appoint a principle accountable person (PAP) to:
  • assess and manage building safety risks such as structural failure and spread of fire;
  • reduce the seriousness of incidents;
  • prepare a safety case report; and
  • provide relevant building information to the BSR.

All high-risk buildings must be registered by October 2023.

The draft legislation can be viewed here.

Consultation

Do you want to have your say on fire safety standards and building regulations?

Take a look at the following consultations issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Welsh Government.

• Managing building safety.
• Building safety competence information for principal contractors and principal designers.
• Building safety for higher-risk buildings.

In Summary

Organisations are required to register with the BSR and appoint a principle accountable person for high-risk buildings. The deadline for compliance is currently October 2023.