Building Safety Act 2022 explained: what UK trades actually need to know in 2026

The Building Safety Act 2022 is the biggest change to UK construction regulation in a generation. It came in response to the Grenfell Tower fire and creates a new regulatory framework for high-risk buildings. By 2026, the practical impact has reached far beyond the high-rise residential sector that the Act originally targeted - main contractors are demanding BSA-style documentation from subcontractors on a wide range of projects. This guide explains what the Act does, what changed, and what UK trades actually need to do about it now.

What the Building Safety Act actually is

The Building Safety Act 2022 is UK primary legislation that received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022. It implements the recommendations of Dame Judith Hackitt's review of building regulations and fire safety, which was commissioned after the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017. The Act creates a new regulatory regime for what it calls "higher-risk buildings" - generally residential buildings of 18 metres or more, or 7 storeys or more, with at least two residential units.

The Act is enforced by the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which sits within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The BSR has significant powers to require information, refuse approvals, halt work, and prosecute. Penalties under the Act can reach unlimited fines and prison sentences for the most serious breaches.

What changed

The Act introduces several new concepts that are reshaping UK construction practice:

1. The Building Safety Regulator (BSR)

The BSR is the new regulatory body for higher-risk buildings throughout their lifecycle - design, construction, occupation and ongoing management. It is the primary regulator for in-scope buildings, replacing local authority Building Control for these projects. The BSR has approval gateways at three points (design, before construction, before occupation) and can refuse to allow projects to progress.

2. Three new duty holders

For higher-risk buildings, the Act creates three new statutory duty holders:

Principal Designer (BSA): different from the CDM 2015 Principal Designer. The BSA Principal Designer is responsible for ensuring building safety throughout design and construction.
Principal Contractor (BSA): the contractor with overall responsibility for ensuring building safety during construction. Must be appointed in writing.
Accountable Person (during occupation): typically the building owner or freeholder. Responsible for ongoing safety once the building is in use.

These duty holders have personal liability under the Act. The duties cannot be delegated by contract.

3. The Golden Thread

Possibly the most operationally significant change. The Golden Thread is a digital information record that must follow a higher-risk building from design to demolition. It captures:

Design intent and decisions
Construction records (what was actually built, with which materials)
Test certificates and verification records
Inspection records throughout construction
As-built drawings and specifications
Maintenance plans and records
Any modifications or refurbishments over the building's life

The Golden Thread must be digital, structured, accurate and accessible to the relevant duty holders. Paper records, lost emails, contractors' personal phones - none of these are acceptable. The information must be findable years or decades later.

4. New competence requirements

The Act requires that every person carrying out work on a higher-risk building has the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours (the SKEB framework). This applies at every level - from architects to roofers to apprentices. Industry is responding with new competence schemes specifically aligned to BSA requirements.

5. Mandatory occurrence reporting

Any incident or risk that could lead to fire spread or structural collapse in a higher-risk building must be reported to the BSR. This is a much lower threshold than RIDDOR.

6. Construction Products Regulations

The Act significantly tightens UK construction product regulation. Manufacturers face new requirements for declaring product performance, and there are new restrictions on certain products in certain applications.

Does the Building Safety Act apply to your work

The strict legal answer: the Act primarily applies to "higher-risk buildings" - generally residential buildings 18m+ tall or 7+ storeys with 2+ residential units. So if you only work on houses, low-rise flats, or commercial buildings, the strict Act doesn't apply to your work.

The practical answer in 2026: BSA-style documentation requirements are spreading well beyond strictly higher-risk buildings. Many main contractors now apply Golden Thread principles to all their projects because:

Insurance underwriters increasingly require it
Public sector clients increasingly require it
Their own internal risk management is moving in that direction
It's easier to standardise practice than to track which projects are technically in-scope

So even if your work is not technically covered by the Act, the practices and documentation requirements are reaching you through the supply chain.

What UK trades actually need to do

1. Make your records digital and structured

Paper records, hand-written documents, photos on a personal phone - none of these meet Golden Thread requirements. Move to digital systems with structured data. Each work activity, each inspection, each defect should have a record that can be retrieved in 5 years' time.

2. Strengthen your documentation

RAMS, training records, inspection records, test results, materials information - all need to be more detailed than the pre-BSA standard. The bar for documentation has risen substantially.

3. Track competence rigorously

Every worker, every qualification, every expiry date. The SKEB framework (Skills, Knowledge, Experience, Behaviours) requires more than just a CSCS card - it requires evidence of actual competence for the specific work being done.

4. Materials traceability

Where applicable, you need to track which materials went into which part of which building. Material certificates, test reports, batch numbers. This is a significant administrative shift for many trades.

5. Mandatory occurrence reporting awareness

If you work on higher-risk buildings, you and your team need to know what triggers a mandatory occurrence report to the BSR. Threshold is significantly lower than RIDDOR.

6. Be prepared for principal contractor pre-start packs

Main contractors on BSA-affected projects will demand much more pre-start documentation than historically: full RAMS, full training matrix, materials information, method statements with material specifications, supervisor competence evidence, and so on. Pre-start packs that took 30 minutes to produce now take 2 hours.

Sectors that should pay closest attention

Cladders, fabricators and facade contractors

The Act specifically targets external wall systems on residential high-rises. Cladding contractors face the highest scrutiny and most demanding documentation requirements.

Fire stopping and passive fire protection

Fire stopping is a critical Golden Thread element. Records must show what was installed where, by whom, with what training, tested in what way.

Roofers

External envelope work on higher-risk buildings is captured. Materials, fixings, testing all under more scrutiny.

Mechanical and electrical contractors

Riser shafts, services penetrations, fire alarm systems - all critical Golden Thread elements requiring rigorous documentation.

Structural contractors

Connections, fixings, test certificates - the structural Golden Thread is intense for in-scope buildings.

Scaffolders

Less direct impact on the building itself, but main contractors on in-scope projects will require BSA-style competence evidence and inspection records.

The Gateway Process

For higher-risk buildings, the Act introduces three regulatory gateways:

Gateway 1: at the planning stage. Fire safety considerations must be in the planning application.
Gateway 2: before construction starts. The BSR must approve the design before any work begins.
Gateway 3: before occupation. The BSR must approve completed work before residents can move in.

Each gateway requires substantial documentation submission. Failure at any gateway can halt the project.

What main contractors are demanding now

By 2026, principal contractors on UK construction projects (especially residential, commercial high-rise, and public sector) are typically demanding from subcontractors:

BSA-aligned RAMS with materials specifications and test references
SKEB-aligned competence evidence for every operative
Daily site records with photographic evidence
Test certificates for installed products
Materials traceability where applicable
Defect reporting that meets occurrence reporting thresholds
Digital handover packs

The shift from physical to digital, from generic to specific, from end-of-project to continuous - all driven by Golden Thread requirements upstream.

Common misconceptions

"It only applies to high-rises so I don't need to worry"

Strictly true for the legal Act. False in practice because main contractors are applying BSA-style documentation across their portfolios.

"My existing CHAS or SSIP covers it"

SSIP schemes verify general H&S competence. They are part of the picture but do not satisfy specific BSA requirements like the Golden Thread or SKEB competence.

"It's just more paperwork"

It is paperwork, but the standard of paperwork is significantly higher. Generic documents that passed pre-BSA pre-start checks fail BSA-style ones. Quality matters more than ever.

"I'll worry about it when I work on a high-rise"

By the time a main contractor asks you for BSA-aligned documentation, they need it tomorrow. Building the systems and processes after you are awarded a contract is too late.

How to prepare

Step 1: Audit your current documentation

Take a recent project. Could you produce, today, every piece of documentation needed for a BSA-aligned handover? RAMS, materials info, test certificates, training records, inspection records, defect reports? If the answer is no for several of these, you have a documentation gap.

Step 2: Move to digital systems

Paper records, spreadsheets, personal phones - all incompatible with Golden Thread requirements. Digital systems with structured data are the foundation.

Step 3: Upgrade your RAMS

Pre-BSA RAMS were often a couple of pages. BSA-style RAMS reference materials specifications, test certificates, competence requirements, and inspection regimes. They are typically 2-3x longer.

Step 4: Strengthen training records

Move from "trained" to "trained on this specific activity, this specific date, with this specific verification". The SKEB framework requires depth, not just breadth.

Step 5: Establish an occurrence reporting process

If you work on higher-risk buildings, define what triggers a mandatory occurrence report and how you process one when it happens.

How Complys helps with the BSA

Complys is built for the documentation discipline the Building Safety Act requires. The platform:

Generates BSA-aligned RAMS with materials specifications and competence requirements
Tracks every worker's competence with SKEB-aligned records
Maintains a digital, structured, audit-ready record of every project activity
Stores test certificates and inspection records linked to the project
Provides a Golden Thread-aligned audit trail
Generates handover packs that meet main contractor BSA-style demands
Tracks materials and product information against installed locations

For trades businesses working on higher-risk buildings or with main contractors who apply BSA-style requirements, Complys covers most of the documentation requirements out of the box. Start the 90-day free trial.

FAQ

When did the Act come fully into force?

Royal Assent April 2022. The Building Safety Regulator has been progressively rolling out registration and gateway processes since then. By 2026, the regime is fully active for higher-risk buildings.

What counts as a higher-risk building?

Generally: residential buildings 18 metres or more in height, or 7 storeys or more, with at least 2 residential units. Plus all hospitals and care homes regardless of height. Plus any building containing a residential use that meets the height threshold.

What are the penalties under the BSA?

Up to unlimited fines, and prison sentences up to 2 years for the most serious breaches. The Act allows personal prosecution of individual duty holders, not just companies.

Does the BSA require new training certifications?

The Act requires SKEB-aligned competence but does not name specific certifications. Industry is creating new schemes (CABE, CIOB, FIRAS for fire stopping etc.) but no single scheme is universally mandated.

Is there a public register of BSA breaches?

The BSR is developing public-facing transparency tools. Most prosecutions are publicly reported.