ASFP webinar – Regulatory update on Fire Safety Act and Building Safety Act

28/06/23

Building Safety act aims to implement all 53 recommendations from the Hackitt report.

Draft Construction Product requirements due to be published soon (July) and may go live as soon as
October this year.

National Building Safety Regulator has been set up by the HSE. Aim is to implement a more stringent
regulatory regime for high-risk buildings by using ‘Gateways’.

Will look at safety and performance for all buildings and the competence of people working on
them.

Focus is on all buildings; ‘From shed to shard’.

Gateway 1 is already active. Gateways 2 & 3 due to go live in October this year.

There will be a greater deal of regulatory scrutiny, particularly around gateways 2 and 3. This will
require designs to be completed earlier and in more detail. Less likely to be able to get spec.
changed later on down the line as any changes during gateway 3 will require discussion with
approval from the Building Safety Regulator.

Gateways are linked to the golden thread which is very detailed.

Golden thread – onus is on the client i.e. the building owner to collate and submit information. Also
need to check the competence within the supply chain.

Construction Products Regulations covered in section 9 of Building Safety Act.

Construction Products Regulator is the OPSS (Office for Product Safety and Standards). Work with
trading standards.

Morrell report released in April 2023; ‘Testing for a safer future, a review of the construction
products testing regime’.

Findings are that there is a failure of market surveillance and no enforcement. Too many ADCP
(conformity assessment) systems and too complex a process. Many products not covered by a
harmonised European normative standard so can be declared by the manufacturer themselves.

Recommendations;

Simplify AVCP and increase rigour.

Review requirements for MMC.

Adopt and promote the CCPI – Seems that Government is really pushing this.

Approved bodies to inform OPSS when conclusions are being misrepresented.

DoP to be required for all products.

Remove System 4 (manufacturer declare performance).

All construction products available in the UK will fall under a regulatory regime.

CE mark no longer recognised after 30/06/2025 (legislation to be brought in Q3 2023).

Competence needs to be improved. BSI has drafted BS8670 series to create a ‘competence
foundation’.

CCPI stalled due to issues with professional indemnity insurance but is now back on the scene.
Suggestion is this will become the norm so we need to get onboard with it.

As a manufacturer we would fall under the design and specify competency map (as we provide
guidance to others).