Features Building Safety Act amendments you need to know about This month, three new amendments were quietly added to the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA). Designed to fill holes and increase the legislative protections available to leaseholders in respect of…
Opinion A year of building safety changes: reflections and the path forward Samantha Mepham says there are several key areas that need to become the norm for the long-term safety of the built environment.
Opinion Why insurers are concerned about the new principal designer role Professional indemnity insurance (PII) has been in a state of crisis since 2020. This has been driven by increased loss ratios (where claims exceed those expected when premiums were set),…
Opinion Behaviours are key to competency A core intent of the Building Safety Act and the consequent new building safety regime is to ensure that all work across the built environment is done by appropriately competent…
Features What is mandatory occurrence reporting? A new requirement under the Building Safety Act for higher-risk buildings is for mandatory occurrence reporting. Michelle Essen and Kate Hanson, from international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, explain what it involves.
News One in four professionals unprepared for Building Safety Act More than one in four (27%) built environment stakeholders are still underprepared for the changes that the new building safety legislation has brought to the industry. That’s the finding of…
Opinion The Principal Contractor role under the Building Safety Act The introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) has demanded a seismic shift in how the construction industry approaches building safety risks during the design, construction and occupation of…
Features Member profile: ‘I feel that we are taking a massive step forward’ Chris Cooter, APS assessor and asbestos consultant, is optimistic about Building Safety Act changes, but is concerned by a too often cavalier approach to asbestos.
News Laing O’Rourke director: ‘Prepare for high-profile prosecution under BSA’ A Laing O’Rourke director has warned the construction industry to brace for a high-profile prosecution under the Building Safety Act and advised to treat every building as high risk.
Features How safety regulation is changing around the UK The new regulatory regime as set out in the Building Safety Act came into force in England in October and will apply to all projects subject to building regulations apart from some excluded minor works. But how does it apply to the devolved nations?
News New golden thread details clarified Experts have welcomed further clarifications to the development, maintenance and operation of the ‘golden thread’ of information.
Opinion Building Safety Alliance: a new key to raising safety standards Anthony Taylor is interim chair of the Building Safety Alliance, for which APS is a founding trustee. He sets out its ambitions to help landlords deliver their responsibilities under the Building Safety Act.
Features BSA: dutyholders face up to new responsibilities Jon Cooper, partner and head of health and safety, and Andrew Westbrook, solicitor, at Womble Bond Dickinson explain the new duties and liabilities of the roles under the Building Safety Act as now in force in England.
News Building safety regime now in force On 1 October, the secondary legislation needed to support the practical implementation of the Building Safety Act (BSA) came into force.
Features Better information management leads to safer occupation Allan Binns explains how better information management equates to safer buildings and examines the role CDM has to play in keeping residents safe.
Opinion Why the Building Safety Act 2022 matters for everyone The Building Safety Act and its secondary legislation can apply across all types of buildings, not just high-rise residential buildings, explain Christian Charles and Ian Smith.
Opinion Grenfell victims deserve better than new construction product code Public confidence in construction plunged following the Grenfell fire – but the industry will still have a self-regulatory role in product safety through the new Code for Construction Product Information. That’s worrying, says David Shepherd.
Opinion Building safety: has liability risk been expanded? The judgment in URS v BDW is the first Court of Appeal decision considering the Building Safety Act 2022. Olivia Jenkins and Helen Stuart explore its wider implications.