The New Building Safety Act and Its Implications for Approved Inspectors

28th October 2022

Earlier this year (2022) over 120 approved inspectors came together to discuss the most fundamental changes to building control since the introduction of the AI market in the mid 1980s. At this event the new Building Safety Regulator took centre stage to talk about the changes that the sector is likely to see in the coming months following the introduction of the Building Safety Act.

The BSR reassured the industry that AI’s will be needed to deliver the changes that the government is pressing ahead with. There will be a significant role for us to play in the future of securing the safety of the built environment.

There will be numerous consultations with the industry on secondary legislation, the first round of which has already been circulated, to help us deliver the BSA. The competency framework consultation, which has recently been circulated, is a very clear indication of the range of key competencies that building surveyors will be required to demonstrate no matter what type of project they are working on.

The AI market is well equipped to demonstrate competence as it has been doing this since the first licences were granted. Upskilling the whole workforce is going to be vital if the industry is to thrive and attract new talent into our sector.

It is going to take time for the wider construction industry to work out the detail of the BSA but we should be leading the charge here. AI’s are already some way down the line in terms of the new requirements of the BSR and we can help our clients to understand their responsibilities in this transitional stage.

Embracing technology and its transformative potential will help to make us more innovative and effective in what we do. The onus is on our sector to be early adopters of technology whilst still adhering to the requirements of the BSA in the process.

This is a huge opportunity for our sector and one that we must grasp with both hands in order to create real benefit for our surveyors.