Why Reform was Needed
It was paramount that legislation reform was needed after the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy. The disaster left a sour taste in the mouth for Londoners and the entire UK, with 70 people tragically losing their lives.
The ensuing public inquiry revealed numerous failures by several organisations. The public enquiry summaries that the organisations had opportunities to identify risks but failed to act.
As a result, the government and the commissioners at Hackitt Review called for a “radical rethink” of the entire system. The Building Safety Act (2022) (BSA) puts that rethink into legislation and into action with the goal to enforce safety, transparency and accountability.
Major Changes in the BSA
The BSA established safety protocols to adhere to before properties can commence construction. Whilst these mainly cover high-rise buildings that are 7 storeys or more, they still count for all properties.
Key changes include:
- New Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will sit within the Health and Safety Executive, effectively becoming the controller for higher risk buildings.
- Duty Holders are required to uphold a ‘golden thread’ of information in the form on frequent reports summarising how safety is managed.
- New roles and responsibilities have been created to control accountability and clarity regarding the building’s health and safety.
- Creation of a ‘Gateway System’, which ensures that fire safety is incorporated within the planning stage and that all construction is to be halted if inadequate actions have been taken or if the BSR is unsatisfied.
How Does This Relate to Touchstone?
Whenever there is a property to be built or refurbished, it may come as an instinct to introduce safety measures. However, it was, in the past, easy to find loopholes and dance around the expensive measures. This is not within Touchstone’s values. We make sure that safety is imperative to our properties so that all tenants are constantly safe and have ample routes to escape in the event of danger.
Conclusion
Grenfell was the long-awaited and overdue wakeup call that was needed for the right people to amend the right legislation. Despite Touchstone already cementing a rigorous building safety regime, it is still important to remember what ittook for people to act.
