News

On 1 October 2023, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) became the Building Control Authority for all higher-risk buildings (HRBs) in England.

The recent OceanGate Titan tragedy has highlighted the importance of third-party certification in ensuring safety and quality standards. This article aims to explore the role of third-party certification in mitigating risks and reducing the probability of such incidents. It emphasises the need for external inspection and certification to prioritise safety over commercial interests.

Following the announcement that Building Control will be a regulated profession, the Health and Safety Executive has announced that the service for registering competence is now open.

Fire engineering consultancy OFR Consultants, with the Structural Timber Association (STA), has published its research into cross-laminated timber (CLT) compartment fire behaviour in Volume 6 of the STA’s Structural timber buildings fire safety in use guidance. Its study set out to establish the relationship between different building heights, uses and consequence classes, as well as performance expectations of structures in the event of a fire.

Based on an analysis of incidents logged through its Accident Reporting Portal, the International Powered Access Federation has said that incident reporting has increased over the past year and the fatality rates of the most common types of accidents have declined.

In place since 2017, nutrient neutrality rules in dozens of protected areas across England meant local authorities were prevented from approving any new development that was projected to add to river nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates, either through wastewater from new homes or run-off from building sites.

The Building Safety in Wales report on how the Welsh government, local authorities and their key partners are implementing the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) has found that responsible bodies – particularly local authorities and fire and rescue – are unable to effectively discharge their responsibilities and ensure buildings in Wales are safe.

The Insulation Manufacturers Association’s Seven Steps to Fire Safety CPD outlines material science, product testing and product classifications, and how this relates to regulations and standards critical to the fire performance of a building.

Aston University has partnered with asbestos consultancy Thames Laboratories (TL) to improve the efficiency of social housing repairs.

Abloy UK recommends familiarisation with the amendment by the British Standards Institution (BSI) to Part 4 of BS 7273: Code of practice for the operation of fire protection measures – Actuation of release mechanisms for doors, to enhance security and provide safer means of controlling the unauthorised use of escape doors.

Regulations and the technical detail underpinning the new, more stringent regime for the design and construction of higher-risk buildings bring changes for all buildings.

Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities, has signalled his intention to mandate second staircases in new build residential buildings over 18m, following confirmation from expert bodies that they support this threshold.

The industry continues to experience unprecedented changes in safety and this issue covers some of the considerations.

Details of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) Charging Scheme has been published, ahead of its implementation on 1 October 2023 – we explain what's chargeable, the triggers for charges and who is responsible for paying.

Total Training Development Ltd (TTD) has become the third organisation to obtain approval as an independent competence assessor for England. The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) and the Building Safety Competence Foundation were named as approved providers earlier this year.

UK-based charity the Hamish Ogston Foundation has committed nearly £29m to heritage skills training globally.

The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) is highlighting changes to registration under the Building Control Act 2007 and registrants’ CPD.

A commercial director at Costain has become the first black President of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES), and he aims to "add value through collaboration".

A ban on installing new oil and LPG boilers, as well as new coal heating, for homes off the gas grid will be delayed from 2026 until 2035, the UK's Prime Minister has announced.

Lord Callanan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance) was welcomed to the award-winning Leeds PIPES District Heat Network in August.