The Building Safety Act (BSA) is the most significant piece of new legislation for construction in a generation. It will fundamentally change the way in which buildings are designed, constructed and maintained. It heralds a new regulator, regulates for competence, adds additional rigour to enforcement, calls for more detailed records to be kept of what was built, by whom and how and introduces compliance Gateways for Higher Risk Buildings.
Whilst the Act itself was introduced in 2022, the 6 April 2024 marked the end of the transitional periods and the new regime is now fully in force. This includes amendments to the core Building Regulations and a suite of new secondary legislation with new defined responsibilities for all working on the design and construction of buildings, new regulatory procedures and enforcement powers and tighter processes (the Gateways) for Higher Risk Buildings.
In the first operating week FIS has launched a new online training course designed to introduce the basic concepts of the Building Safety Act and support individuals working in the finishes and interiors sector understand the implications of these changes on them. Members have access to this course, which has been designed to be user-friendly and guide members through the new compliance landscape. The course is divided into nine chapters:
- An overview of the Building Safety Act 2022
- What is a Higher Risk Building and when does work fall under the stricter regime?
- An introduction to Gateways and new expectations
- PEOPLE: Duty Holders and Competence Management Plans
- PROCESS: Change Control and Mandatory Occurrence Reporting
- PRODUCT: Safety Critical Products and Evidencing Performance
- Managing the Golden Thread
- Defective Premises Act and other Sanctions
- Summary and Recommended Actions
It includes with an end test and FIS will issue CPD certificates to those completing the course (and passing the test). Learners can learn at their own pace and FIS is on hand to answer any questions that arise.
Commenting on the launch of the course, FIS CEO Iain McIlwee stated:
“This is a really important new chapter for our industry and we hope that this course helps members turn the page effectively. The advantage of delivering it in this way is that the content is agile and we can evolve as we learn more about the regulations are being applied in the real world. There remains some uncertainty and undoubtedly there will be some challenges as the rubber hits the road and the new enforcement regime beds in. As well as encouraging members to take the course we are inviting feedback and hopefully it will generate a wave of questions that we can help clarify and/or work to find the answers with the regulator.”