A new regulatory body for safety in construction materials

The government is in the process of establishing a new regulatory body to enforce a high standard of safety in construction materials

The government has announced that: ‘A national construction product regulator will operate within the Office for Product Safety and Standards which will be expanded with £10m in funding.

The Government has committed to establish a national regulator for construction products as part of wider reforms to address systemic failings identified by the Hackitt Review.

It will operate within the Office for Product Safety and Standards which will be expanded and given £10m in funding to establish the new function.

The move is part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s work to address the culture within the construction industry.’ 

This new regulatory body has been founded to prevent the multiple ongoing issues that the industry has. Over the years there has been mass outcry for safer regulations and this was only magnified by the tragic events that unfolded at the Grenfell Tower. The improper cladding materials being used led to an enormous fire that engulfed the tower in 2017. The new governing body will ensure that buildings and structures are only built from safe materials moving forward. A huge step in the right direction to stop contractors cutting corners, whether that be to save time or to save on cost. The introduction of this independent governing body will inevitably lead to a safe future for us all. 

The governing body will also be able to remove products from being marketed and enforce that manufacturers bring all of their products up to the correct standard. The governing body will also have the ability to conduct their own independent safety tests to ensure that any reports are unbiased. We must learn from the tragedy which occurred at Grenfell Tower and endeavor to improve the safety standards throughout the industry. Independent tests will open up avenues to see as to where improper products were sold/distributed to. This could lead to a massive amount of replacement material being needed and a retrofitting nightmare for contractors. The government is also funding a review on how testing systems may have been abused in the past which will help prevent this issue occurring again.