The Building Safety Act, bought in in 2022 sought to deal with issues which led to the terrible event of the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017. Major changes were introduced, which were primarily aimed at making high risk buildings safer, but also affected a number of other areas including Building Regulations and accreditation scheme requirements.
The new rules have meant an update to the Common Assessment Standard (CAS), which is used to set the requirements for accreditation schemes. Update 4.1, adds a section covering Building Safety which is all about the Building Safety Act.
CAS 4.1’s Building Safety Section
In order to pass the assessment, companies will need to demonstrate the following:
- Understanding of BSA Duties: Your awareness and acceptance of responsibilities as a Designer, Contractor, or Principal Contractor under the Act.
- Competence Framework: How you assess, develop, and maintain the competence of your workforce, in line with standards like BS 8670.
- Quality Assurance Processes: Your systems for ensuring work is built to the correct standards and specifications.
- Golden Thread Capabilities: Your ability to capture, manage, and provide safety-critical information digitally throughout a project.
- Mandatory Occurrence Reporting: Your processes for identifying and reporting significant safety issues.
- Collaboration & Communication: Your approach to working effectively with other duty holders.
How will this affect you?
Once for All, a procurement specialist who work for a group of the major contractors, recently contacted the supply chain for the companies they represent to let them know that they would not be able to tender for contracts after 1st October 2025, unless they are able pass these sections. The following companies are affected:
| Balfour Beatty | Grainger plc | Mclaren Group | Vinci Construction |
| BAM UK & Ireland | The Hill Group | McLaughlin & Harvey | Wates |
| Bowmer + Kirkland | Kier Group plc | Mount Anvil | |
| Curo | Laing O’Rourke | Robertson Group | |
| Fortem | Mace Group | Tilbury Douglas |
Whilst the companies above have put an official date to their requirement, it is worth noting that the new sections will have to be passed for any company wanting to achieve Constructionline Gold or Platinum the same goes for other schemes, such as CHAS. Anyone working for a company which requires these accreditations will need to pass them next time you renew.
How can we help?
At HCS Safety, we promise to be professional, friendly and practical, our job is to help companies understand and meet complex safety regulations.
- Building Safety Act Training: We offer a 1 day ‘Understanding the Building Safety Act’ course to help you understand the new law and what you need to do to satisfy it.
- Gap Analysis: We can review your current systems and documentation against the requirements of CAS 4.1 and the Building Safety Act, identifying any areas that need strengthening.
- Policy & Procedure Development: We can assist in developing or refining your internal policies and procedures to align with BSA duties, competence frameworks, and Golden Thread principles.
- Documentation Support: We can guide you as you compile and organise the necessary evidence and documentation required for your CAS 4.1 submission, ensuring it is clear, comprehensive, and verifiable.
- Competence Assurance: We can advise on best practices for assessing and recording the competence of your workforce, including training matrices and development plans.
- Ongoing Guidance: We can provide support and advice to keep you updated on evolving regulations and best practices, ensuring sustained compliance.
Don’t let the new law become a barrier to your success.
Contact HCS Safety to find out how we can help you with the Building Safety Act and keep you working safely.
