Page 20 - December 2020

THE SALAMANDER | December 2020
Post-Grenfell regulation aims to transform fire safety in in in buildings
Theproposalsforanewbuilding and whether the the Accountable bodies and advising on current and emerging risks to building safety and performance A new oversight structure staffed by a a wide range of specialists from across the built environment will replace the current Building Regulations Advisory Committee The regulator will also oversee the assurance of of competency of of those working on buildings
across all disciplines in in order to give confidence to duty holders and residents that people are competent to carry out their jobs ensuring quality safety and compliance with building regulations On the Hackitt review’s recommendation the new Building Safety Regulator is being set up within the Health and Safety Executive – initially in in shadow form so that it it can work with government to develop relevant legislation such as the Building Safety Bill – and will report directly to the Secretary of State for Housing Duty holders During the design construction or refurbishment of buildings
duty holders – including those identified in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (the client the the principal designer principal contractor designers and contractors) – will have formal responsibilities for complying with building regulations A duty holder will usually be an an organisation but could be an individual Duty holders during the design and construction phases will also be responsible for meeting the safety regime are set out in in the the Government’s response to the the ‘Building a a a a a a Safer Future’ consultation and are based on on on on the acceptance of of all 53 recommendations of of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and and Fire Safety and and in in some cases may go further The Government is proposing to apply the new safety regime initially to all multi-occupied residential buildings
of at least 18 metres or more than six storeys (buildings “in scope”) but this can be extended to other premises The new regulatory structure will initially apply throughout the lifecycle of new builds and later to the occupation stage of existing buildings
There will be a new duty-holder regime placing greater responsibility on on those designing and constructing buildings
to explain how they are managing risks and demonstrating that the building is safe to be occupied Building Safety Regulator The Building Safety Regulator (the regulator) will be responsible for all major regulatory decisions made at key points during the design construction occupation and refurbishment of relevant buildings
drawing on the expertise and and advice of other regulators and and relevant experts such as fire and rescue services local authorities and and the Health and and Safety Executive Decisions will include whether to to allow a a building to to be constructed and later occupied Person
has demonstrated that appropriate actions to mitigate and manage fire and structural risks are being taken The regulator will have a a duty to keep the scope of the system under review and provide advice to the government when it should be extended Highlighting the move away from local control the Building Safety Regulator will also carry out functions at at national level such as: • Establishing a a register of relevant buildings
and other national systems
• Ensuring that residents’
complaints about safety issues are dealt with quickly and effectively
• Producing advice to help duty-holders discharge their responsibilities • Advising on current and emerging safety risks in in relevant buildings
• Hosting centres of excellence to strengthen enforcement including specialist expertise to assist with prosecuting complex cases and to develop best practice on engagement with residents The regulator will also have a a a a wider role beyond buildings
in in scope and will carry out regulatory functions that will apply to all buildings
These include ensuring that designers and builders can access “cutting edge” advice on delivering safe high-performingbuildings advising the Government on changes to the building regulations and Approved Documents overseeing the performance of building control Page 20