IOSH warns against losing focus on building safety
IOSH is urging the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to maintain its firm commitment to high standards and sustain the momentum behind the industry’s necessary cultural transformation.
The global professional body is concerned that delays in the approval processes could fuel claims that building safety requirements are holding up the delivery of the Government’s target to build 1.5 million new homes. In fact, achieving lasting cultural change – where safety, health and wellbeing are embedded at every stage – is critical to delivering safe, sustainable development at pace.
IOSH’s call comes as the Government moves the BSR out of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and establishes it as a standalone arm’s length body under the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The transition, which took effect on 27 January 2026, forms part of wider plans to progress toward a single construction regulator as recommended by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Read more on the HSM website.
Contractor jailed after ‘kind hearted’ teen fell to death during demolition works
A self‑employed contractor has been jailed after a teenager fell to his death during demolition works on a property in Surrey.
Jason Hill had hired 19-year-old Thomas Neate, known as Tom, to help demolish a garage at a domestic property in preparation for an extension, at an address on Glebe Road in Staines-upon-Thames.
On 16 August 2023, Tom, who was local to the area, was on the garage roof removing tiles and other materials when he fell through an opening and suffered severe head injuries. He was taken to hospital but he died several weeks later on 23 September.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Hill, 59, of Ashford in Middlesex, had put no measures in place to prevent a fall from height, despite the clear risk. Work was being carried out directly from the roof with no scaffolding, decking, or other protective systems to prevent a person falling through or from the structure.
For more on the incident visit the HSE website.
BSR becomes standalone body in landmark step towards single construction regulator
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has today (27 January 2026) officially moved to a standalone organisation, paving the way for the creation of a single construction regulator – a key recommendation of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
The move from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to an arm’s-length body under the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, represents a significant moment for the built environment.
Originally established in 2021 in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, BSR’s full powers came into force under the Building Safety Act 2022. Having benefitted from the expertise of the HSE to set up and establish the foundations required for a new regulator, today’s transition signals a renewed commitment to putting residents at the heart of everything BSR does.
As a new organisation, BSR will work towards establishing a single regulator by promoting competence and higher standards. It will drive the vital culture change required by everyone working in the built environment to support this government’s ambition to build more, safe homes, and remediate those which are unsafe.
Read the full press release on the GOV.UK website.
Safety has improved after fatal train derailment, inquiry hears
An inquiry into a fatal train derailment that left three men dead has heard that progress has been made on safety improvements on its final day of evidence.
The Aberdeen to Glasgow train came off the rails at Carmont in Aberdeenshire on 12 August 2020, after it hit debris washed from a drain which had not been built as designed.
Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash.
Network Rail was fined £6.7m in court for a series of failings in connection with the crash.
The seventh day of the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) heard that 17 of 20 Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) safety recommendations made in the wake of the crash have now been met.
Learn more on the BBC website.
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