Richard Cymler
Director and Technical Manager at Sweco Building Control
How the Building Control industry must (high) rise to the challenge of Building Safety Act competence
As the construction industry adjusts to the Building Safety Act, the role of Building Control has never been more critical. Here, Sweco’s BC Director for the Midlands Richard Cymler reflects on a period of significant change in compliance, and shares how our team of Registered Building Inspectors (RBIs) is helping clients navigate the new ‘normal’ of regulatory obligation.
What’s changed?
There are significant positives that will ultimately save lives. RBI’s can now only act in respect of projects where they have demonstrated competence – basically 8 levels from low rise housing class 2A to buildings over 18m tall class 3G/H).
But under the bonnet, so to speak, there are big frustrations too. The BSR implementation of Gateway 2 is hampering the construction of much needed new dwellings via excessive delays and then rejecting applications on matters that are easily resolved or requesting information that has no bearing on end user safety. In practice, Gateway 2 and Gateway 3 applicants to the BSR are not being able to engage with the regulator, and then may be waiting up to 12 months for a decision that really should be provided with 8-12 weeks.
The realities of reform
Since the Buildng Safety Act came in, the changes have been constant: the Registered Building Inspector (RBI) regime, Gateway approvals, Duty Holder competence requirements…the list goes on.
As a result, for those of us in building control, 2024 was tough. Regardless of our years of experience, we each had to submit a 10,000-word report, complete with live case studies, and sit a 90-minute interview to keep working legally as RBIs.
It was gruelling to say the least. Some colleagues retired early. Others left the industry entirely. On reflection, the system should have been tiered and phased, not delivered in one big hit. And unfortunately, we’ll all be going through it again in 2028.
Is the industry ready to act on the Building Safety Act?
If you ask me whether the industry is ready for the cultural shift the BSA demands, my answer is: partly. I’ve seen clients, designers, and contractors really embrace a safety-first mindset. Others are still not sure where to start, or worse still, in denial.
Here in the Midlands, the biggest impact has been on high-rise residential – apartments, student housing, six-storey+ blocks. Delays in starting and occupying these buildings are significant. London, with its sheer volume of high-rise, feels the ‘lag’ even more.
How we’re responding at Sweco
At Sweco, we’ve worked hard to adapt quickly. We run weekly Building Safety Act competence training sessions for all staff – not just new recruits – to keep pace with the fast-changing landscape. Our ATP platform provides clients with a live “Golden Thread” of compliance, tracking progress from design to site inspection. That transparency helps everyone: us, clients, and most importantly, end users who need to operate and adapt buildings safely over time.
We also keep workloads manageable so our inspectors can genuinely engage with clients, and we offer regular and in-depth expert CPD sessions, as well as guidance notes, to help the wider industry navigate complexity.
My advice to developers and BC professionals
If you’re a developer or a fellow professional, my advice is simple:
- Get competent people involved – and make sure they’re competent for your building type.
- Don’t start until your design is fully progressed.
- Record every decision – and why you made it.
- Stay on top of design changes during construction.
- Hand over accurate, as-built information to end users.
These aren’t just compliance tasks. They’re the things that make buildings safer, and they protect everyone – from clients to occupants.
Looking ahead
Despite the frustrations of the process of reform itself (while acknowledging that any significant ‘catch-up’ comes with its pain-points), I do believe the BSA is driving positive change. With the right support, contractors, designers and clients are beginning to better understand – and now live up to – their roles and responsibilities.
In five years’ time, I believe that with assistance from ourselves contractors, designers and clients are gradually better understanding their roles and responsibilities under the Building Safety Act which already existed implicitly however are now much more explicit – it won’t be perfect across the board in the short-term, but the industry is certainly moving in the right direction.
From clarifying regulatory requirements to guiding projects through Gateway approvals, our specialists provide practical, actionable advice to keep your developments compliant, safe and on schedule. Get in touch to see how we can support your next project.