New Government Measures to Improve Building Safety Standards

Last week the government announced new measures to improve building safety standards.

The Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, detailed that the new Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive will go “further and faster to ensure residents are safe in their homes.” The new Regulator will give effective oversight of the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings.

A press release from the government stated that “from next month [Mr Jenrick] will start to name building owners where remediation has not started to remove unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding from their buildings.”

It also stated that “the government will consult on extending the ban on combustible materials to buildings below 18 metres and will seek views on how risks are assessed within existing buildings to inform future policy.”

The new Bill has been driven forward following both the fire at Grenfell Tower and more recent high-rise fires such as the incident at a block of student flats in Bolton in November 2019. It is clear that “many building owners have still not taken sufficient measures to ensure the safety of residents in buildings at all heights.”

This new Building Safety Bill highlights the importance of risk assessments, and how preventing issues is vital in order to keep residents safe. If you would like to know more about what’s involved in a risk assessment, please contact us.

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