Menu
Building a Safer Future (BSF) was established to create a positive
culture and behaviour change in the safety of the built environment.
Underpinned by the Building a Safer Future Charter, we’re
focused on practical tools that support the construction industry to develop the
necessary leadership and culture to put people’s safety first in how we design,
build, and maintain the built environment.
The Grenfell Tower tragedy brought to the absolute fore the
need to ensure safety throughout the buildings we live, work, or play in. Building
a Safer Future, and the Charter that underpins it is a proactive response to
Dame Judith Hackitt’s Building a Safer Future Review. As recognised in January
2022 by the Independent
Safety Steering Group’s third report on ‘Culture Change in the Built Environment
Industry’ and Lord
Greenhalgh’s response, Building a Safer Future offers a key approach that
supports continuous improvement in the areas of leadership, culture,
collaboration, responsibility and accountability.
The work of Building a Safer Future is underpinned by the Building a Safer Future Charter. The Charter was established to promote culture change and to help improve building safety for all those living and working in the built environment.
The Charter was originally conceived and created by a group of ‘Early Adopters’ comprising local authorities, contractors, and housing associations, with the support of the then Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
In early 2020, the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) was appointed to take on responsibility for the management of the Charter. CCS subsequently established a new, not-for-profit independent organisation (Building a Safer Future Ltd) with an independent governance structure, to lead and develop the Charter further.
Whilst originally conceived to focus on High-Rise Residential Buildings, BSF and the Charter has extended its scope to cover buildings of all heights, and equally applies, and is relevant to, all construction activity and companies across the value chain.
In April 2020, the UK Government encouraged an industry-wide commitment to sign-up to the Charter, in its response to the ‘Building a Safer Future’ consultation ‘A reformed building safety regulatory system’.
The Early Adopters and Founders of the Charter are:
Who we are?
Barratt Developments is the nation’s largest housebuilder, creating great new places to live throughout Britain.
Why we have signed the charter?
We have signed up to the Building Safety Charter to make a clear commitment to safety for the people who work on our sites, our customers and the general public.
Who we are?
Kier Housing Maintenance specialise in working in occupied properties across the UK, providing tailored planned maintenance and repairs, fire safety and compliance and refurbishment projects.
Why we have signed the charter?
We believe that all people have the right to live in a safe home and environment and so have committed to the Building Safety Charter to challenge behaviours and culture in our industry to achieve this.
Who we are?
L&Q is a regulated charitable housing association and one of the UK’s most successful independent social businesses.
Why we have signed the charter?
We believe that everyone has the right to a safe, secure and quality home. And that nothing is more important than the safety of people living in our homes. That’s why L&Q have signed the Building Safety Charter.
Who we are?
The Peabody Group owns and manages more than 66,000 homes across London and the South East.
Why we have signed the charter?
By signing the Building Safety Charter we believe we can work with other housing providers and developers to kick start the Hackitt recommendations, and help reform the system.
Who we are?
Salix Homes is a housing association based in Salford, Greater Manchester and owns around 8,000 homes.
Why we have signed the charter?
To us, the Building Safety Charter means that the safety of buildings and the residents that live there is the number one priority in the design, construction and occupation of all new and existing buildings. That’s what we believe in, and that’s why we were proud to be amongst the first organisations to sign up to the charter. Building safety should be everybody’s responsibility, from the Board to every level of staff and extends to our residents and partner organisations.
Who we are?
United Living is one of the UK’s leading providers of refurbished and new build living solutions.
Why we have signed the charter?
We committed to the Building Safety Charter because it is a way to unite our people, supply chain partners and our clients in building a safer future.
Who we are?
The Wates Group, established in 1897, is one of the leading privately-owned, construction, development and property services companies in the UK .
Why we have signed the charter?
We are committed to ensuring that the places people live now and in the future are safe and secure. We are a proud signatories of the Building Safety Charter and have made a strong commitment to drive forward real industry-wide culture change, in both practices and behaviours, at all stages of design, construction, refurbishment.
Who we are?
Willmott Dixon is a privately-owned contracting and interior fit-out group. Founded in 1852, we create value for customers, stakeholders and communities by working in a sustainable and responsible way to shape the built environment and make a positive impact on society’s well-being.
Why we have signed the charter?
We committed to the Building Safety Charter as we believe all construction industry professionals have a duty to ensure that public safety and well-being is the primary consideration in the design, procurement and delivery of construction projects.
The Charter is an important step in driving forwards the systemic culture change in relation to major hazard safety that is required across the built environment.
The Building a Safer Future Charter consists of five commitments
Collaborate to spearhead culture change and be the voice of building safety across our sector.
Be transparent in the interests of safety, sharing key information with residents, clients, contractors and statutory bodies in a useful and accessible manner in the design, construction and occupation phases of the process.
Make safety a key factor of choice in who we work with, ensuring that building safety is placed at the centre of selection decisions without compromising quality or value for money.
Ensure that the voices and safety of residents, visitors and employees are central in our decision-making process.
Set out and communicate clear responsibilities within our organisation and with our partners, ensuring everyone with a stake in the building during design, construction and occupation understands their role and has the time and resources they need to achieve and maintain building safety.
By getting involved and signing the Charter organisations are making a practical first step towards putting building safety above all other considerations. We also encourage Registered Signatories to continue their building safety journey by engaging with the Building a Safer Future Champions assessment which supports organisations with practical tools to improve and advance their leadership and culture in relation to building safety.
© 2022 Building a Safer Future Ltd. All rights reserved.
