The Law That Changed Building Safety in the UK
The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) is the most significant reform to building safety regulation in England in a generation. It was enacted in response to the Grenfell Tower fire of June 2017 and Dame Judith Hackitt’s subsequent independent review, which found systemic failures across design, construction, regulation and accountability.
For fire safety contractors — whether you work in passive fire protection, fire stopping, fire door inspection or fire safety maintenance — it affects how you operate, what records you keep, and the risks your business carries if you do not comply.
What the Building Safety Act 2022 Actually Does
At a high level, the Building Safety Act does three things that matter to fire safety contractors:
- Creates a new regulatory body — the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), operating within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which oversees the safety of all higher-risk buildings in England and has powers of inspection, enforcement and prosecution
- Establishes a three-gateway regime for higher-risk buildings, creating mandatory hold points at planning, construction and occupation stages where the BSR must approve progress
- Makes the Golden Thread a legal requirement — a digital record of safety information that must be maintained throughout the life of any higher-risk building, from design through to eventual demolition
When did the Building Safety Act come into force?
The Building Safety Act 2022 received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022. Key secondary legislation, including the gateway regime and Golden Thread requirements, came into force on 1 October 2023. The Building Safety Regulator began operating within HSE from April 2023. Building inspector registration became mandatory and operational standards enforceable from April 2024.
New Duties for Contractors Under the Building Safety Act
Competence
Under the Act and the associated Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2023, all contractors working on higher-risk buildings must be able to demonstrate competence for the work they carry out. For fire safety contractors, this means:
- Third-party accreditation from an approved scheme — such as FIRAS (fire stopping and passive fire protection), BAFE (fire safety), Gas Safe (gas work), NICEIC (electrical), CHAS or SSIP-accredited equivalents
- Individual operative competence records — qualifications, training and scheme membership for each person doing safety-critical work
- Evidence that competence assessments were carried out before appointment
Documentation and the Golden Thread
- Trade contractors are responsible for creating a large portion of the records that make up the Golden Thread. For fire safety contractors, the minimum documentation expected for each job on an HRB includes:
- A job record identifying the work, location, materials and operative
- Third-party certified product information for all installed materials — fire rating, certification number, manufacturer
- Photographic evidence before, during and after installation
- Signed completion or sign-off record — who approved the work and when
- Any non-conformances identified and actions taken
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Change Control
Under The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023, no meaningful change to the approved design can be made during construction without formal approval. If a product you specified is unavailable and you need to substitute an alternative, that substitution must be formally recorded. If it affects fire safety performance, it must go through the principal contractor’s change control process before being installed.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
| Offence | Maximum Penalty | Who Can Be Prosecuted |
| Failure to maintain Golden Thread / prescribed documentation | Unlimited fine and/or up to two years’ imprisonment | The firm, and potentially individual directors |
| Breach of duty under the Higher-Risk Building regime | Unlimited fine and/or up to two years’ imprisonment | The firm |
| Allowing occupation without a completion certificate | Unlimited fine and/or up to two years’ imprisonment | Principal contractor, accountable persons |
| Failure to comply with a BSR notice | Unlimited fine and/or up to two years’ imprisonment | The firm or individual |
The Supply Chain Pressure You May Already Be Feeling
Beyond direct regulatory enforcement, the Building Safety Act is creating commercial pressure through the supply chain. Principal contractors working on higher-risk buildings are required to verify the competence and documentation practices of their subcontractors. Many are now making Golden Thread-compliant documentation a contractual requirement.
In practice, this means that if you cannot provide structured, digital, audit-ready records for your work on a higher-risk building, you may be unable to win or retain contracts with principal contractors — regardless of the quality of the physical work you carry out.
FIRAS and the Building Safety Act
FIRAS certification — the third-party accreditation scheme for passive fire protection contractors — is increasingly referenced in supply chain contracts as evidence of competence under the Building Safety Act’s requirements. If you are not FIRAS-certified and work in passive fire protection, it is worth reviewing whether certification is becoming a commercial requirement in your market.
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What You Need to Do Now
Verify your accreditation status — ensure your firm holds current third-party accreditation relevant to your scope of work
Review your documentation process — can you produce a complete, structured record for any job in any higher-risk building, on demand?
Move away from paper and disconnected systems — the Act requires digital records; scattered files, email attachments and WhatsApp photos do not constitute a compliant Golden Thread
Understand your change control obligations — any deviation from the approved specification must be formally logged and approved
Know the buildings you are working in — check whether projects fall within the HRB definition and flag this to your operations team
BUILDING SAFETY ACT 2022 — KEY FACTS FOR FIRE SAFETY CONTRACTORS
- Enacted 2022; fully in force from October 2023 / April 2024
- Applies to all higher-risk buildings — 18m+ or 7 storeys+, with 2+ residential units
- Approximately 12,500 HRBs in England are in scope
- Competence, documentation and change control are legal requirements, not best practice
- Penalties: unlimited fine and/or up to two years’ imprisonment. Directors can face personal criminal liability
- Principal contractors are mandating compliance from their supply chains
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Ready to see how Golden Fred handles this in practice?
Golden Fred is a compliance and operational management platform built specifically for fire safety and building safety contractors. It combines job management, Golden Thread documentation and AI compliance guidance in one place — so your records are audit-ready by default, not assembled in a panic before an inspection.
Every job your engineers complete automatically builds a structured compliance record. Certifications, photos, sign-offs and change logs — all linked, all searchable, all ready when the BSR asks.