The Building Safety Bill received Royal Assent on 28 April. Following months of debate and amendment, the Building Safety Act 2022 will enshrine in law the Building Safety Regulator, providing a new system of oversight with powers for enforcement and sanction.
Alongside this, a Construction Products Regulator will have powers to remove dangerous products from the market and a New Homes Ombudsmen Scheme will give greater voice and redress for buyers of new build properties to rectify issues with their homes.
There has been much debate on who will be responsible for funding remediation work linked to cladding on high-rise and high-risk residential buildings. Duty holders will have a clear system of accountability and responsibility, from design to construction and then refurbishment. These provisions will come into effect with the introduction of secondary legislation over the next 12 to 18 months.
As part of this work and the Interim Industry Competence Committee, who will advise and make recommendations to the Building Safety Regulator, the JIB and ECS have been working with industry to raise the bar on standards with the Fire, Emergency and Security Systems sector and promote the outcomes of Working Group 2: Installers. The Phase 1 Report for pilot sectors (including Fire Detection and Alarm Systems) can be found here and sets out how ECS is leading the way in terms of digital technology to give greater visibility to individual competence in the industry.