Building safety

Fifty years after the Health and Safety Executive was created, is it still fit for purpose today? When a pile of coal waste crashed down a hill onto a school and row of houses killing 116 children and 28 adults at Aberfan in October 1966, no one was prosecuted. Industrial…

Amos Simbo, founder of Black Professionals In Construction (BPIC) is among the industry figures recognised in the New Year’s honours list. Simbo was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the construction industry and to diversity. Simbo has been heavily involved in work…

The collapse of the UK’s sixth-biggest contractor, the Grenfell Inquiry phase two report and the change in government all had a massive impact on the industry this year – and will continue to do so in 2025 How will the construction industry remember 2024? Perhaps it will go down as…

A "hugely significant" legal judgement has paved the way for decades-old cladding-related disputes to pass through the adjudication system. A High Court judge this week sided with BDW Trading - property developer Barratt Developments’ main trading arm – in a £14.5m dispute over building defects on a 2002 contract with…

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has voted to ban more companies from being used on any council projects after a review of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase two report. In 2021 the local authority, which covers North Kensington where the tower was located, prohibited the use of…

Two newly published reports have called for more research into the fire-safety performance of volumetric modular construction. In a report commissioned by the government, researchers at Harlow Consulting and Edinburgh Napier University warn that there is no standard fire-test method that is directly applicable for volumetric construction. It says that…

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has confirmed that it will review Approved Documents guidance. The review will begin next year with three objectives: to make the guidance easier to understand and use; ensure that regular updates reflect new technology and industry practices; and make the Approved Documents more accessible, especially…

The proposed public sector contract ban on firms linked to the Grenfell fire will initially focus on the “most appalling companies”, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner told MPs yesterday. In November, the government announced that initial warning letters had been sent by the government to 49 organisations involved in the…

All high-rise buildings with dangerous cladding will be remediated by the end of 2029, the government has pledged. The government has also announced “severe penalties” for landlords who do not remediate medium-rise buildings. In a statement released today (2 December), the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said…

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has said it is considering extending a ban on the use of companies involved in the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy. In 2021 the council, which covers North Kensington where the tower was based, banned the use of Rydon, Arconic, Celotex and Kingspan on…