Editorial

Building Safety Regulator launches campaign for residents of high-rise buildings

March 2024

The new regulator is asking all those living in tall buildings in England to be aware of how new Building Safety laws affect them. These laws protect and empower people living in high-rise residential buildings (HRBs) to take part in safety decisions that affect them – as well as providing a clear process for reporting safety concerns. This is a major milestone in the journey towards safer high-rise living, placing residents’ rights front and centre.

The Building Safety Act provides a framework for ensuring the safety of residents living in HRBs – these are buildings 18 meters or seven or more floors in height containing at least two residential units. They are defined as ‘higher-risk’ under the Act. Residents of these buildings are urged to find out more about how the new law affects them.

Every high-rise building is now required to have a Principal Accountable Person (PAP), ensuring that those responsible for managing the building’s safety can be held to account for fulfilling their legal obligations.

The enhanced residents’ rights include:

Assurance that safety risks in their building are being effectively addressed
Access to ongoing information on what is being done to improve safety in their building
Empowerment to voice safety concerns, with assurance that their concern will be taken seriously
Clear, accessible, and easy to understand information regarding safety matters

The legislation empowers residents to report safety concerns, assured that their grievances will be taken seriously. Clear protocols are in place for expressing concerns or making a complaint. Residents can raise concerns and issues to the PAP for their building.

Operating within the Health and Safety Executive, the BSR is a crucial part of the Government’s response to the Grenfell fire tragedy. An essential element of the new regulator’s role is to ensure the safety of high-rise residential buildings.

More information: https://press.hse.gov.uk/2024/02/27/bsr-launches-campaign-for-residents-of-high-rise-buildings

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