The Building Safety Act 2022 is a major new law created to make buildings, especially tall residential buildings, much safer. It was introduced directly because of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. That fire highlighted serious failures in the old system, where it was often unclear who was responsible for safety. The Act’s main goal is to fix these problems by improving the standards of design and construction, making people accountable, and giving residents a stronger voice.
The Act names specific people or organisations called “duty holders” and gives them clear legal responsibility for safety at different stages of a building’s life. These roles include the Client (who orders the work), the Principal Designer (who manages design safety), the Principal Contractor (who manages safety during construction), and anyone else, including contractors who undertakes work on a building during its life. Once the building is occupied, an Accountable Person (often the owner or landlord) becomes responsible for managing ongoing fire and structural safety risks, ensuring the building remains safe for residents.
Competence is a core part of the Act, meaning people and companies must have the right skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours to do their jobs safely. It’s no longer enough to just claim you are qualified. You must be able to demonstrate this competence (perhaps with qualifications or formal checks) and maintain it by keeping up-to-date with training and new safety standards. This ensures that everyone working on a building, from the architect to the final building manager, is capable of making it safe.
The “golden thread” is the name for a complete and accurate digital record of a building’s information. It starts when the building is first designed, is updated all the way through construction, and is kept for the entire time the building is used. This “thread” contains all the crucial details about how the building was built, what materials were used, and how it should be kept safe. It ensures that the right people have the right information at the right time to manage the building safely, both for day-to-day life and in an emergency.
In addition to compliance with the new BSA 2022, these procedures could have far reaching benefits to the health and safety of your employees, compliance with other legislation, and the health and safety culture of the organisation as a whole.
Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional