Why Fire Aware sees a step change in safety attitudes

by Featured NewsIndustry Comment

Supply chain safety shifts toward Fire Aware standards

Supply chains are increasingly adopting rigorous fire safety processes to protect public safety across multiple sectors according to the membership body Fire Aware.

The organisation noted a behavioural change as both large and small companies implement measures to ensure the safety of people using buildings and urban spaces.

Fire Aware CEO Gavin Skelly said: “As we move about to talk to those companies and groups with products and services in fire safety, we are seeing a step change in their attitude to fire safety.

“Even in those companies who don’t necessarily have a fire safety competence requirement but still hold a duty of care.

“They want to commit to doing the right thing and make sure their part in the fire safety supply chain is fit for purpose.

“They recognise that this is more than a job, fire safety is a vocation.”

Professional obligations and the Fire Aware code of conduct

Skelly explained that all parties involved in the design, construction, management, maintenance and letting of the built environment have a fire safety obligation.

This responsibility applies even if the specific business does not focus directly on fire specialisms.

“Many are joining us as members because they want to sign up to our code of conduct which binds us all together,” Skelly added.

“Their membership is a sign of intent to protect people through a combination of competence and behavioral performance.

“After all, it is people’s lives we are talking about.”

The independent Building Safety Regulator (BSR) recently began promoting higher standards and competence following calls for cultural change from Dame Judith Hackitt.

Focus on vulnerable sectors and moral responsibility

Hospitality and healthcare represent sectors particularly vulnerable to fire risk due to the presence of customers and elderly or vulnerable people.

Fire Aware continues to highlight the moral responsibility of designers, developers, asset owners and managers within the supply chain.

The organisation utilizes a series of charters and a moral code of conduct to influence how member companies uphold their duty of care.

This membership body serves the built environment to ensure stakeholders work and trade responsibly in the interest of general public safety.

Approved Document B fire safety review enters 14 week consultation

by Featured NewsSafety

Fire safety consultation opens in England

A 14-week public consultation has opened on proposed changes to Approved Document B: Fire safety, with responses invited until 1 July 2026.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are leading the consultation on revisions to fire safety guidance in England.

The proposals cover clarifications to existing guidance, revised provisions for combustible materials in external walls and specified attachments and a new requirement for evacuation lifts in certain residential buildings.

The consultation opened on 25 March 2026 and forms part of the ongoing review of Approved Document B in response to recommendations arising from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report.

BSR said the review is intended to keep guidance under continuous review and introduce changes at planned intervals so the construction industry can prepare for future updates.

Fire safety proposals for buildings and external walls

The consultation includes technical clarifications and corrections, consolidated guidance for building work on existing buildings and updated provisions for external wall systems, balconies and roofs.

It proposes that Approved Document B should no longer be used on its own above 11 metres where combustible elements of structure are included.

Updated guidance is also proposed for photovoltaic panels on roofs, along with revised terminology replacing sheltered housing with specialised housing and increased alarm provisions for some specialised housing with care.

For residential buildings above 18 metres, the draft approach proposes evacuation lifts, with new buildings above that height expected to include a minimum of two staircases and two evacuation lifts.

Firefighting lifts would be able to serve a dual function where appropriate.

The consultation also addresses the ban on combustible materials in and on external walls above 18 metres, including a potential exemption for certain laminated glass balustrades subject to defined dimensions and material performance limits.

Higher fire resistance ratings are also proposed for multistorey open-sided car parks to address risks linked to larger vehicle fires and changing vehicle types.

Costs timing and how to respond

According to the consultation, the proposed preferred options would have a cumulative cost of £199 million over 10 years and an estimated net annual cost to business of £29 million.

The document states that benefits have not yet been monetised and identifies clearer guidance, improved consistency in fire safety measures, reduced design ambiguity and better alignment between regulatory and industry standards as expected effects.

The proposed target implementation date is 2 September 2029, which the consultation says would align the changes with the existing 2029 amendment booklet for Approved Document B and give industry more time to adapt.

The consultation states that there is no suggestion that existing or upcoming buildings are inherently unsafe, provided they were built to the standards in force at the time, are properly maintained and are effectively managed.

Responses can be submitted through an online survey or by email to ADBconsultation@hse.gov.uk, with written responses required to state which questions are being answered and whether the submission is from an individual or an organisation.

Regulator appoints new leaders to Building Advisory Committee

by Featured NewsPeopleSafety

Building Safety Regulator announces BAC leadership changes

The Building Advisory Committee has appointed Dr Barbara Lane as Independent Chair and Dr Hywel Davies OBE as Deputy Chair in a leadership change linked to the Building Safety Regulator.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) announced the appointments and said Dr Lane is the first Independent Chair of the Building Advisory Committee (BAC).

Dr Lane is a Fellow of Arup and a chartered senior engineering executive with 30 years’ experience across sectors in the built environment.

She served as an expert witness for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 from 2017 to 2024.

Dr Davies has served on the BAC since it was created and is Head of Technical Insight at the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE).

He also chaired the BAC’s predecessor body, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, from 2020 to 2023.

Committee transition and advisory role

BSR said the appointments mark the start of a transition for the committee as it continues its advisory role alongside the Industry Competence Committee (ICC) and the Statutory Residents’ Panel.

Dr Lane and Dr Davies are liaising with BSR as the leadership transition progresses.

The committee’s strategic direction is being considered as part of work to align it with BSR.

The Statutory Residents’ Panel is recruiting its own Independent Chair.

Comments on the Regulator appointments

Dr Lane said: “Taking on this independent role is part of my ongoing commitment to create a safe and equitable built environment, one that works for everyone.

“I believe that the committee can be a powerful force for good across the sector, building on the harsh lessons learnt from the Grenfell fire.

“My aim is to try and remedy the shortcomings exposed in our building standards to protect and improve the lives of millions throughout the country.”

Dr Davies said: “I am pleased to be appointed Deputy Chair, supporting Dr Lane in her new role.

“The committee has a critical role to play supporting BSR in its work to improve the building safety regime, identify risks to building users, and provide consistent and timely standards and guidance that can meet the complex challenges we face today.”

Charlie Pugsley, Acting Chief Executive Officer of BSR, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome both Dr Lane and Dr Davies to their new roles on the Building Advisory Committee.

“Together they bring a wealth of expertise garnered from successful careers working in the built environment and will make a real difference to the positive impact of BSR, the committee and regimes under the Building Safety Act.

“Their combined knowledge and skills will be invaluable to informing and supporting our mission to ensure safer homes and buildings for all.”

The committee is considering its strategic direction as the leadership transition continues.

BESA’s new competence toolkit targets Building Safety Act compliance

by Featured NewsSafetyTraining

Competence guidance under the Building Safety Act

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has published a free guide setting out how employers can demonstrate competence under the Building Safety Act and show compliance to the Building Safety Regulator.

BESA said the document, titled Demonstrating Competence under the Building Safety Act, is the latest in its series of practical guides for the building services industry.

The guide is intended to help employers meet legislative competence requirements in professions where formal qualifications or full competence frameworks are still absent.

It explains how individuals and organisations can understand, evidence and apply the principles of Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours that define competence.

BESA sets out competence as part of a wider risk management process that is governed and reviewed through each stage of project delivery.

The guidance includes evidence of how work is allocated on the basis of demonstrable competence.

It also covers how competence is monitored and reviewed and how gaps should be addressed when they are identified.

The document outlines a proportionate competence management system based on the SKEB model developed by BESA.

Competence evidence and compliance pathway

BESA said the advice is aligned with work being carried out by the Engineering and Building Services Skills Authority (EBSSA) and the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG).

The guide states that construction-related professions are still expected to show the Building Safety Regulator that people carrying out safety-critical tasks are competent for those specific tasks.

That requirement applies even where sector frameworks are still incomplete.

BESA said the guidance was produced in response to requests across the sector for clearer information about what competence is, what good practice looks like and how it can be evidenced to regulators and clients.

The guidance is divided into ten sections.

These sections cover defining competence, using assessment and evidence to satisfy the Regulator, addressing competence in supply chains and linking to other tools and standards.

BESA’s director of specialist knowledge Rachel Davidson said: “Employers have always been liable for ensuring the right competence is in the right roles at the right time.

“However, the Regulator has now tightened the alignment between legislation and the Building Regulations to explicitly impose competence requirements on both individuals and organisations.

“This gives more clarity and oversight around how competence is defined, demonstrated and governed – and our new guide shows employers how to comply.”

Davidson added that competence should not be regarded as “a tick box exercise” and described it as a continuous management discipline combining technical rigour with behaviour to achieve compliance.

She said: “Many employers in this industry already have good systems in place and employ excellent people keen to do a good job.

“They don’t need to wait for the various industry committees to finish their work on formal competence frameworks.

“Our guide provides a method for establishing or verifying a system you can defend in the face of Regulator scrutiny now.”

The guide is available as a free download.

England remediation plan targets faster higher-risk building safety works

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Remediation plan targets faster decisions

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has introduced an external remediation improvement plan to reduce delays to higher-risk building safety works across England.

BSR said the plan includes a dedicated external remediation multidisciplinary team, lower average caseloads for regulatory leads and wider use of approval with requirements where appropriate.

The regulator said it will recruit more staff to reduce individual caseloads from an average of 25 to around 10.

The new multidisciplinary team will be supported by external remediation account managers handling applicant communications and portfolio concerns.

BSR also plans to pilot the use of building control professionals from different classes to support case officers and regulatory leads.

A new consistency process will be introduced to resolve technical disputes more quickly.

The regulator is also moving towards more direct engagement with applicants, including initial meetings for more complex projects.

BSR said it will publish a clear external remediation prioritisation structure and is working on digital visibility changes so applicants can track progress after submission.

Older cases and application quality

BSR said around 40% of ongoing external remediation applications rely on government funding, and many older complex cases are taking longer to reach decisions.

The regulator said internal resource constraints and a high volume of older non-compliant industry submissions are driving the current caseload.

Incomplete applications are delaying decisions where required technical information or legal documentation is missing.

Examples include limited evidence of fire-resistant properties for replacement cladding and related materials, missing structural loading calculations and incomplete demonstration of thermal performance.

Delays are also linked to incomplete design information, unsupported non-worsening claims and poorly organised documents.

Ambiguity over retained combustibles is also described as a frequent cause of failure.

BSR said it has published initial guidance for external remediation work on existing higher-risk buildings and will issue more feedback, resources and support in the coming months.

The regulator is also planning better data sharing with organisations managing government funds, including Homes England.

By December 2026, BSR is aiming to reduce average decision times for remediation applications to less than 12 weeks and achieve approval rates above 65%.

Lord Roe, BSR Board Chair, said: “We continue to accelerate our decision-making for new build applications, speeding up approvals for new build and external remediation projects and increasing the supply of safe new and existing homes through the recent changes we have made to our processes.

“We recognise current determination times for remediation cases are falling short of statutory targets.

“This plan represents a targeted and achievable package of measures to reset the system and clear older legacy remediation cases.

“By doing so and then focussing on more recent applications, we can ensure high-rise residents see essential safety improvements they deserve without unnecessary or further delays.”

Charlie Pugsley, Acting CEO of BSR, added: “As we enter an important new chapter as a standalone regulator, our focus is on strengthening safety, rebuilding trust and supportively collaborating with industry.

“Collectively these measures will ensure current and future remediation applications can proceed as smoothly and quickly as possible.

“By launching a dedicated multidisciplinary team and introducing account managers, we are dramatically increasing our capacity to make faster decisions.

“Speed cannot come at the cost of safety.

“We will also publish further specific guidance and support to help industry submit higher-quality applications, ensuring thousands of residents can feel safe, and are safe in their high-rise homes.”

Regulator introduces social media channels to share building safety guidance and news

by Building ManagementCommunicationsConstructionFeatured NewsSafety

Regulator launches digital channels for communication

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has launched dedicated social media channels to provide updates on building safety guidance, news and events.

BSR stated that the new channels follow its transition to a standalone organisation earlier this year and are intended to create a direct line of communication with industry and residents.

The channels will share building safety guidance, resources and information on online webinars and events.

They will complement the organisation’s GOV.UK page and its existing campaign website.

BSR stated: “The new channels will allow us to provide a direct, focused line of communication to everyone interested in building safety and the work of BSR.”

Access to information, updates and training

Following the new BSR channels will provide access to information for high-rise residents across England and updates on building safety reforms and legislation.

Users will be able to view links to transparency data and official guidance, alongside campaign updates and technical information for the construction sector.

The channels will also include details of free training, toolkits and webinars, along with opportunities to take part in BSR research projects.

BSR produces three regular ebulletins for industry, responsible persons and high-rise residents, providing updates on guidance, recent developments and opportunities to contribute feedback.

More than 21,000 subscribers currently receive these updates, with sign-up available for further users.

BSR stated that it will continue to expand its digital presence and update its website as additional platforms are introduced.

Consultation outlines exemption route for some fire door approvals in England and Wales

by Featured NewsFire DoorsPassiveSafety

Exemption proposal covers fire door work

Fire door installation and maintenance work in England and Wales could be allowed to bypass formal approval from building control bodies under proposals from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

Inside Housing reported that the BSR has proposed a self-certification scheme for fire door work in both high-risk and lower-risk buildings.

The change would allow landlords to show that safety work complies with building regulations without going through the BSR gateway process.

The regulator said this would save “significant time and cost for those carrying out this type of work” and keep standards in place while improving transparency.

Last autumn, Lord Roe, chair of the BSR, told Inside Housing that minor work should be removed from the regulator’s oversight.

In January, the government launched a consultation on removing work linked to phone masts and fibre optic cables from the regulator’s scope after it was deemed lower risk.

Exemption sits within wider self-certification review

Inside Housing reported that the proposed changes to fire doors form part of a wider BSR review of self-certification.

Building work can already be self-certified and avoid checks from building inspectors if installers belong to a competent person scheme.

The BSR is reviewing the conditions of authorisation, a set of rules drawn up in 2016 that all competent person schemes must follow.

Its call for evidence covers governance and accountability, along with competence and training standards.

It also covers data reporting and enforcement.

In a statement published alongside the survey, the BSR said recent reviews had shown “persistent weaknesses” in the oversight of groups running the self-certification system.

The regulator also said it will consider how lessons from government retrofit schemes examined in the National Audit Office report from last autumn could be reflected in the conditions of authorisation.

It also referred to findings from the Competition and Markets Authority in 2023 on weak consumer understanding in the green heating and insulation sector.

Inside Housing reported that the regulator also referred to calls from the National Home Improvement Council last summer for stronger safeguards.

Consultation runs for three months

The consultation opened last Friday and will run for three months.

Government recommendations are expected before the end of the year.

Inside Housing also reported that the sector is still waiting for a formal plan to speed up remediation decisions.

Figures published this month showed decision times on these schemes had nearly halved to around 18 weeks for the most recent applications from late 2025 and early 2026.

A backlog remains.

Accountability takes shape: What MHCLG’s regulator restructure means for building safety

by Breaking NewsConstructionHealth and SafetySafety

Why the Building Safety Regulator’s transition to independence marks a new phase in regulatory oversight across England

When the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) formally became a standalone arm’s-length body under the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 27 January 2026, the structural change was presented as a step towards greater focus, accountability and delivery.

The transition, announced in a press release and followed by a detailed media briefing on 28 January attended by national and trade press including International Fire and Safety Journal, marks the next phase in post-Grenfell building safety reform.

Originally established within the Health and Safety Executive in 2021, BSR now operates independently, with leadership positioning the move as preparation for the longer-term ambition of a Single Construction Regulator.

A standalone mandate

In the official announcement, Lord Andy Roe, Chair of BSR, described the move as a defining moment in the regulator’s development.

He said: “Today is a decisive and important step in strengthening building safety and a milestone that marks our evolution into a standalone regulator.

“While the creation of BSR in 2021 was a watershed moment, today is about looking forward to a single construction regulator that brings coherence to a once-fragmented system.”

He linked success directly to resident experience, stating: “We will know we are successful when residents acknowledge we have made the built environment safer.”

Roe also emphasised continuity of purpose, saying: “Today is about continuing to support homes being built safely while fulfilling our primary mission: ensuring we are all building better and living safer, together.”

During the 28 January briefing, Roe described how independence strengthens operational clarity.

He said: “Being our own body, our own regulator, gives us that singular focus, that energy and the ability to deliver things proportionately and transparently in an accountable way,” adding: “It’s just much better for us to be in this position as a singular, standalone agency.”

Acting Chief Executive Charlie Pugsley positioned the change as organisationally enabling, saying: “It allows us to continue developing in the way that we want to.”

In the 27 January statement, Pugsley set out the breadth of the regulator’s remit, stating: “Today is a significant new chapter for BSR, with a clear signal that while we must continue to focus on improving our operational delivery for both new build homes and occupied HRBs, our mandate extends far beyond high-rise oversight to a broader responsibility for safety and standards across buildings in England.”

The moral imperative and housing delivery

Throughout the briefing, leadership returned to the experience of the Grenfell Tower fire as the defining influence on the regulator’s purpose.

Said Roe: “What I saw that night was total system failure.

It was everyone, every single institution, private and public, [that] had touched that incident that failed the people who lived in the buildings,” stressing: “That’s the moral imperative [that] underpins this regulator.”

Roe connected this imperative to scrutiny of complex developments, stating: “The moral imperative of bringing greater scrutiny to bear on the design and construction of higher risk, more densely populated, large scale buildings is correct.”

Alongside this, he framed housing delivery as part of the regulator’s duty.

He said: “Getting new homes built has to be part of our duty as a regulator. We have to be enablers.

“Challengers, yes, certainly, but particularly enablers.”

He linked safety outcomes directly to supply, stating: “The safest way you know you’re going to give someone the living environment they deserve is to enable a safe home to be built.”

Roe summarised this position by saying: “This is all driven by the kind of twin desires to make sure people have the houses they need and deserve in this country.”

Gateway reform and operational performance

Gateway 2 performance formed a substantial part of the briefing.

Roe described the position when current leadership assumed responsibility.

He said: “We were up around 144 applications, 33,000 homes, kind of stuck in the pipeline,” stating now : “That’s been completely reversed.”

Providing further detail, Roe said: “We’ve got timescales down from what was a median 48 weeks to get an application approved in London when we started, to now much closer to the 12 or 13 week SLA,” adding: “The backlog problem is dealt with.”

The briefing outlined structural changes including the removal of the previous local NDT model, adoption of a centralised technical approach, faster invalidation of incomplete applications and closer technical engagement between regulator specialists and applicant teams.

Roe reflected on earlier operational weaknesses, stating: “We now have a record of addressing them.”

Now, attention is shifting towards sustaining throughput as volumes increase, while maintaining scrutiny across complex higher-risk schemes.

Gateway 3 preparation is also underway, with inspection planning involving registered building inspectors, fire services, local authorities acting as agents and direct BSR capacity.

Leadership emphasised earlier engagement through account managers to align construction programmes with inspection expectations.

Remediation, enforcement and competence

Remediation was consistently identified during the briefing as the next major operational focus.

Current average decision timelines were noted as around 34 weeks, with approximately 280 live cases in progress.

Roe confirmed that a structured plan is imminent.

He said: “We will make clear public promises, and we will keep them.” He added: “We will set some targets, and we expect to be held to them,” reitering: “There is a real plan.” Pugsley confirmed timing, saying the regulator would be bringing forward a remediation plan “in the next few weeks.”

Roe addressed the continued presence of unsafe buildings directly.

He said: “There’s a lot of dangerous buildings still out there. I don’t say that hypothetically.”

On enforcement, he clarified its place within the wider toolkit.

Roe said: “You will not enforce your way out of this.” He continued: “Enforcement needs to be proportionate, but also needs to be robust.” He added: “You save your enforcement for your absolute criminal actors, your worst actors.”

Pugsley connected enforcement to capability and intelligence, stating: “If you don’t have good intelligence and solid enforcement at the other end, then the bit in the middle actually loses value.”

Professional competence formed another forward priority.

Pugsley asked: “Should those key life critical professions actually all be regulated?” Roe linked standards and accountability to quality outcomes, saying: “Setting a standard and holding people to it drives competency and, actually, quality.”

He also addressed sector-wide skills capacity issue, highlighting the “decades” of under investment in skills:  “There’s a shortage [in] every single skill set within the sector.”

Political and industry response

Building Safety Minister Samantha Dixon placed the transition within the government’s reform objectives, tying structural change to long-term housing and safety outcomes.

She said: “Everyone deserves to live in a safe home and we are determined to deliver lasting change to make this a reality.” She added: “The Building Safety Regulator sits at the heart of this mission, and today launching a new body is an important step in realising sector wide reform.” Dixon concluded: “I look forward to working with the new leadership team on our journey towards the Single Construction Regulator.”

Mark Reynolds, Executive Chair of Mace Group and Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, described recent engagement with the regulator in operational terms, linking structural reform to day-to-day process.

He said: “Over the last twelve months we’ve seen a very tangible shift in how BSR has worked with the Construction Leadership Council and developers across the country, and the result has been a more effective process, enabling safer buildings to be commissioned and delivered faster.”

He added: “The UK needs confidence that the construction industry, the regulator and government are all working together to deliver new and safe housing at scale – and I believe this moment marks a major step forward on that journey.”

There is a particular kind of scrutiny that comes with becoming standalone.

Performance data, published more clearly, tends to attract attention from those waiting on decisions, those living with risk, and those expected to fund remediation.

It also creates a sharper public record of what the regulator says it will do next, including the targets Roe said BSR expects to be held to.

In that sense, independence raises expectations as much as it clarifies structure.

Roe’s own framing has consistently returned to accountability and prevention as the standard against which that performance will be judged.

He said: “We will know we are successful when residents acknowledge we have made the built environment safer,” concluding: “We want to prevent future Grenfells.”

This was originally published in the March 2026 Edition of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE copy, click here.

BSR update shows 108 new build decisions over 12 weeks to 25 February

by Building ManagementConstructionFeatured NewsPassiveSafety

BSR Gateway 2 update and reporting changes

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has set out planned changes to how it reports progress on Gateway 2 applications, alongside updated volumes for decisions, invalidations and live cases in the 12-week rolling period to 25 February 2026.

The BSR said it has changed how it represents application progress by removing invalid applications from progress percentages, describing invalid applications as those lacking basic critical safety information and normally invalidated within around one week.

Percentages of withdrawn, rejections and approvals are now shown as a proportion of the total number of applications that passed validation.

Closed applications across all categories totalled 639 in the past 12 weeks, including 273 invalidations.

The number of live applications of all categories was reported as 1,212.

Across all Gateway 2 categories, 65% of closed applications were related to London cases, with 404 made in the capital over the past 12 weeks.

Remediation improvement plan due to be announced

A remediation improvement plan is set to be formally announced and introduced over the coming weeks.

The plan is intended to improve the efficiency, quality and timeliness of applications for remediation projects.

It will focus on strengthening BSR resource capacity, improving internal processes and supporting industry to submit higher quality applications.

The update reported 86 remediation decisions made since December 2025, including 41 in London, and 77 new cases received.

There were 279 live remediation cases being processed, representing 24,282 units.

The BSR said late 2025 and early 2026 remediation applications are averaging around 18 weeks, with complex older remediation cases taking longer for decisions.

It said it will publish specific remediation guidance in the coming weeks, alongside improved feedback and support for applicants.

New build decisions, legacy cases and Innovation Unit activity

Gateway 2 new build applications in the 12-week rolling period to 25 February recorded 108 decisions, with 82 new applications received.

New build applications representing 15,178 residential units were received, with decisions on 23,197 units issued, including 10,514 approvals.

There were 31,191 units in live cases.

Legacy cases reduced from 60 at the start of December to three normal applications, with a separate cohort of 18 applications with significant technical issues moved into a complex case category.

The BSR said approval rates of legacy cases continue to be 53%.

The BSR Innovation Unit (IU) made 27 decisions in the past 12 weeks, including 10 in London, and is currently managing 123 live new build applications representing 26,224 units, with 69 of those in the capital.

Eleven applications have been approved with a median approval time of 18 weeks.

For post-validation applications, 33% are approved and 33% rejected, with the remainder under active account management.

Charlie Pugsley, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, said: “We continue to see improvements to the numbers of decisions being made for new build applications, and the numbers of safe homes being made available for the future.

“We also continue to engage even more closely with applicants to help improve the quality of those applications and that continues to see tangible results that will make a real difference.

“However, we recognise that current determination times are falling short of our targets for remediation.

“Our Remediation improvement plan, which will be formally announced and rolled out operationally over the coming weeks, will represent a targeted package of focussed measures to reset the system.

“But speed can never come at the cost of safety, whether that be for new build or existing homes.

“Our goal continues to be to ensure that industry can construct safe buildings, and that residents can see the essential safety improvements they deserve without unnecessary delays.”

The update also described a batching pilot for bundling new build and remediation applications for accelerated assessment, stating that initial data indicates faster processing times than previous methods and that the model remains under evaluation.

Fire Aware backs BSR drive to raise competence across fire safety

by Featured NewsHealth and SafetySafety

BSR and Fire Aware’s position

Fire Aware has announced support for the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as part of its campaign for cultural change across the fire safety industry.

The position was set out in a Fire Aware statement on its work with the regulator.

The organisation noted that the BSR became a formal standalone arm’s length body in January, operating under the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government after transferring from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Fire Aware added that it is advising member organisations across multiple sectors on engagement with the regulator.

Gavin Skelly said: “We fully endorse the move towards cultural change.

“We must remember – those who hold a duty of care at all levels are working in a vocation, and not just a job.

“We are working with our members to improve the standards of our buildings old and new and to improve the competence of those working within them who hold a duty of care.

“The essence of the BSR’s aims are aligned with our own.

“Fire Aware would support this requirement and direct any of its members involved in the Gateway system to help the regulator achieve its goal, similar to that of Fire Aware’s mission, to primarily uphold public safety.”

Skelly also commented that all parts of the supply chain across multiple sectors should adopt the same vocational approach to duty of care.

Charters and duty of care

Fire Aware described its campaign as focusing on the moral responsibility of those working in the fire safety supply chain, including designers, developers, asset owners, managers and other stakeholders.

The body said it intends to introduce a moral code of conduct through a series of charters aimed at shaping how member companies behave when upholding their duty of care.

Fire Aware characterised itself as a recognised membership body serving the built environment and related sectors with a shared aim to work and trade responsibly to best practice standards in the interests of public safety.

The organisation’s stance links its internal charter programme with the regulator’s expectations for those submitting safety cases to the BSR.