ACQP calls for “immediate removal” of Building Safety Regulator from HSE

In a statement issued to members and the media, the Trade Association has suggested that the current arrangement “risks repeating the very regulatory failures it was designed to prevent”.

Gerry Sharpe, CEO of the ACQP, observed: “The Building Safety Regulator was meant to reset the culture of construction sector safety in the UK, but housing it within the HSE – an organisation whose expertise lies in workplace safety – has led to confusion, weak enforcement and an alarming lack of sector engagement.”

Key concerns

Several key concerns have been raised by the ACQP, including a “lack of built environment expertise, slow and ineffective enforcement, low visibility and engagement” and “cultural misalignment”.

According to the ACQP: “The HSE is not a construction regulator. Its staff, systems and oversight frameworks are not designed to deal with Building Control, cladding, fire engineering or long-term structural risks.”

Further, the organisation states: “ACQP members report delayed interventions on high-risk buildings, with many unsafe structures still occupied and unresolved years after issues were flagged.”

In addition, the ACQP comments: “There is widespread concern that the Building Safety Regulator is distant, bureaucratic and disconnected from the professionals and residents it’s meant to support.”

When it comes to “cultural misalignment”, the ACQP notes: “The HSE’s long-standing, risk-based and reactive enforcement culture doesn’t align with the proactive, high-stakes demands of modern building safety oversight.”

Requirements to be met

The ACQP is now calling on the Government to address several key requirements:

*immediately begin the process of removing the Building Safety Regulator from the HSE

*establish the Building Safety Regulator as an independent statutory body with its own governance, staffing and powers

*appoint leadership drawn from across the construction, fire safety and resident advocacy sectors

*improve transparency and public accountability of Building Safety Regulator decisions and enforcement actions

*foster stronger integration with local authorities, Fire and Rescue Services, Building Control and planning regulators

The ACQP’s statement concludes: “We believe in a regulator that’s feared by the cowboys, trusted by residents and respected by professionals. That will never be achieved while it remains buried in the wrong institution.”

About the ACQP

The ACQP is a professional membership organisation representing those practitioners responsible for ensuring safety, quality and compliance in the UK’s built environment.

With a growing national network of fire engineers, site managers, Building Control officers and construction quality specialists among its ranks, the ACQP is committed to raising standards and advocating for competent and ethical practice across the sector.

*Further information is available online at www.acqp.co.uk