BUILDING SAFETY
Building Safety Act: why standardisation and a systems approach are the keys to progress
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While the Building Safety Act has fundamentally changed how our industry designs, builds and approves high-rise residential buildings, John Duffin, managing director of Keyfix argues what is need now is clarity, consistency and a far more joined up approach to how we work together as an industry
orn from the tragedy of Grenfell Tower and the recommendations of the Hackitt Report, the Building Safety Act represents one of the most significant transformations in UK construction for decades.
The intentions behind it are right, and I’d
argue most people working in construction share those intentions. But good intentions alone won’t get buildings through Gateway 2 and Gateway 3. These themes resonated strongly at a recent
roundtable hosted by our sister company IG Masonry Support, as part of its Sleep Like a Babycampaign championing compliance and certification in construction. Alongside experts from across the sector including representatives from CABE, BSI, McAleer & Rushe, Lee Marley Group, Aros Architects, Hoare Lea and Broadway Malyan, we took stock of where the industry stands, and where we need to go next. The conversation fed directly into IG’s newly published White Paper, From Legacy to Liability: How the Building Safety Act is Creating a Cultural Shift in Construction, and it reinforced something I feel strongly about: the Act is more than a regulatory shift. It’s changing how we think about responsibility and performance across the entire supply chain.
The standardisation problem
One of the most striking themes from the discussion was the sheer variation in what’s being asked for during the submittal process. Almost everyone around the table had a different experience of what information was required, in what format, and to what level of detail. That inconsistency isn’t just frustrating, it’s genuinely slowing projects down and creating unnecessary risk, at a time when the BSR’s approval time is already running at 30 weeks against a 12-week target. What we need, and what I’d argue should be an urgent priority, is a standardised template for submittals. A clear, agreed framework that tells every party in the supply chain exactly what’s expected of them. It would smooth the process, reduce the back-and-forth with the Building Safety Regulator, and give everyone, whether they are manufacturers, consultants, or contractors, the confidence to move forward.
A system of systems
At the Keystone Group, we’ve been thinking hard about how we can best serve the industry in this new regulatory landscape, and the roundtable gave me real encouragement that the direction we’re heading is the right one. The slab edge is one of the most congested and complex areas of any high-rise building. Masonry support, windposts, wall ties, cavity trays, lintels, fire barriers: multiple products, multiple manufacturers, multiple design considerations, all competing for the same space. As I reflected during the roundtable, Grenfell was a sobering reminder of what happens when individual components are each certified in isolation, but nobody takes responsibility for how they perform together as a system. That’s where it went wrong. Our answer to that is a system of systems
approach, offering everything needed at the slab edge under one roof, with one design team, one proposal, and full accountability sitting in one place. The appetite for this around the table was genuinely encouraging. Design teams and contractors alike could see the value of handing that complexity to a single, trusted partner rather than trying to coordinate between multiple manufacturers independently. Collaboration between designers, manufacturers, and contractors is essential to meet the new expectations of competence and accountability. A system of
20 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AUGUST 2026
systems approach is precisely how we’re putting that into practice. But for that approach to work, it demands something significant of us internally. It’s not enough for each of our business units to be expert in their own product. Our people need to be knowledgeable and confident across the full Keystone Group portfolio. Competence within a system of systems means understanding the whole system, not just your corner of it. That’s the standard we’re holding ourselves to.
What the regulator needs from all of us
The Building Safety Regulator is, like all of us, still on a learning curve. That’s not a criticism but simply the reality of landmark legislation that has changed the rules of the game. But it does mean the industry has a responsibility to engage constructively, to share experience, and to help shape what good looks like. Equally the regulator needs adequate resource and funding to process applications at a pace that keeps development viable. Without meaningful sanctions for those cutting corners, the race to the bottom on cost and compliance will continue to undermine those of us working hard to raise standards.
A reason for optimism
For all the challenges, the overriding feeling from the roundtable was a positive one, as we all want to do things the right way. The White Paper itself concludes that the Building Safety Act, despite the complexity of its implementation, is driving lasting positive change by embedding safety, integrity and competence at the heart of construction practice. I share that view. At Keystone Group, we’re committed to being part of that solution. The system of systems approach we’re developing is designed precisely for this environment, where accountability, competence and coordination aren’t optional extras, but the foundation of everything we do. The hard work is still ahead of us. But the conversations happening right now at roundtables, in white papers, and across the supply chain tell me that the industry has both the will and the expertise to get this right. The IG Masonry Support White Paper,
From Legacy to Liability: How the Building Safety Act is Creating a Cultural Shift in Construction, is available to download at
igmasonrysupport.com/sleeplikeababy
Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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