Building Safety Act: Turning Compliance into Confidence
- F3 Admin
- Aug 20
- 3 min read
The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA), supported by the Building (High-Risk Buildings Procedures) Regulations 2023, has fundamentally reshaped the design, construction, and management of higher-risk buildings (HRBs) in occupation.
At the centre of this regime is the Golden Thread of Information – a structured, digital, and auditable record of decisions, designs, and safety-critical data.
Put simply: without a robust Golden Thread, projects and assets face regulatory rejection, costly delays, and compliance risks.
Why Existing Buildings Are Affected Too
The BSA is not limited to new construction. Existing HRBs are also within scope. Owners and managers have legal obligations to:
Register existing HRBs with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
Maintain an ongoing Safety Case report.
Keep the Golden Thread current, accurate, and accessible.
Submit mandatory occurrence reports for any fire or structural safety defect posing a significant risk.
The reality? Many existing buildings still lack complete records, suffer from documentation gaps, and have fragmented data spread across multiple systems. This creates both compliance and safety risk.
F3, help owners and duty-holders of existing HRBs retrofit the Golden Thread: auditing what information exists, closing the gaps, and digitising records into fu3e.com “fuse” so they become usable, auditable, and regulator-ready.
Where Projects Fail – The Data
Since the regime came into force, over 70% of Gateway 2 rejections have related to fire safety (Part B) and structural design (Part A).
Our analysis of 140+ Building Safety Regulator rejection notices shows recurring failure themes:
Missing or incomplete fire & structural strategies
Poor quality digital submissions / unstructured formats
Weak demonstration of duty-holder competence
Inadequate change control and assurance procedures
For both new projects and existing assets, these are avoidable risks – but only with the right systems and processes in place.
The Golden Thread – Built In, Not Bolted On
The Act strengthens oversight before building work begins, during construction, at handover, and into occupation. The Golden Thread is the connecting thread that runs through all phases.
F3, Golden Thread methodology is embedded from day one. They don’t see it as a compliance afterthought – it is a live, proactive system of information management and assurance.
Using the fu3e digital platform ensures that information is:
Accountable
Accurate
Secure
Electronic
Accessible
Understandable
Transferable, and
Up to date
Managing the Golden Thread Across the Building Lifecycle
Pre-Construction: Asset Information Delivery Plans (AIDPs) and Master Information Delivery Plans (MIDPs) define what must be captured and when.
Construction: The live capture of drawings, test plans, inspection records, and site photos ensures that both “what” and “how” are built are fully evidenced.
Handover: A complete, quality-assured dataset – including fire & structural safety packages – is delivered in digital formats ready for the Principal Accountable Person.
Occupation: The Golden Thread extends into ongoing building management, enabling accountable individuals to discharge their duties with confidence.
Existing Assets: Legacy records are audited, digitised, and structured so that owners and funders can demonstrate compliance, manage risk, and strengthen long-term asset value.
Why This Matters for Developers, Funders and Owners
Clients need a fully competent Principal Contractor under the Building Safety Act, with the systems, processes, and expertise to manage the Golden Thread for both new and existing HRBs.
The best approach delivers:
Reduced risk of Gateway rejections
Increased approval certainty
Confidence in long-term safety and asset management
For investors and asset owners, this isn’t just about meeting regulatory requirements – it’s about protecting value, reducing risk, and strengthening confidence in higher-risk assets.
Turn Compliance into Confidence.
If you own, fund, or develop higher-risk buildings – whether new or existing – let’s discuss how the fu3e.com “fuse” Golden Thread methodology and solution can protect your projects and safeguard your assets.
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