SAFETY
Raising safety standards in hospital construction
The Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017 was a pivotal moment that reshaped how the UK construction sector approaches building safety, says Mandeep Bansal, Technical Advocacy director at Knauf. He says that for healthcare estate professionals, hospital managers, engineers, architects, surveyors, and contractors, the lessons are clear: safety and performance cannot be compromised. Delivering resilient, safe healthcare environments requires a knowledgeable, fully competent, and accountable supply chain working seamlessly at every stage.
The introduction of the Building Safety Act (BSA), alongside the new Code for Construction Product Information, has raised the bar on competency, quality assurance, traceability, and transparency throughout a building’s lifecycle. The Act’s primary focus is on residential buildings. However, certain provisions apply to healthcare facilities by virtue of secondary legislation (Higher-Risk Buildings – Descriptions and Supplementary Provisions Regulations 2023) which is now in force. A ‘higher-risk building’ is defined as a building at least 18 metres in height, or one that has at least seven storeys and contains at least two residential units. These buildings need to comply with the new stringent higher-risk buildings regime during the design and construction phase of the project. Although healthcare facilities do not need to comply with the occupational phase
duties imposed by the BSA, they are subject to the new approval process which includes a three-stage gateway approval system. For architects specialising in designing practical and comfortable healthcare centres, this requires confidence in specifying and managing the installation of construction materials that meet stringent fire safety standards.
Building Safety Act The Building Safety Act introduces a rigorous framework to ensure higher-risk buildings including healthcare facilities are designed, built, and managed to uncompromising safety and quality standards.
A defining element of the Act is the requirement
on all those in the construction industry to be competent to do their job properly. Every individual involved, from specifiers to
Top: The Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre in Harrogate features Knauf Airless Finish.
Above: A healthcare professional performs hand hygiene, a vital practice in preventing the spread of infections in healthcare settings.
46 Health Estate Journal January 2026
installers, must be demonstrably trained and assessed as fully competent to execute their responsibilities safely. The accompanying Code for Construction Product Information strengthens transparency and traceability, requiring clear, verifiable data on how construction products are marketed, tested, specified, supplied, and installed. This ensures the supply chain not only delivers
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