The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has started directing principal accountable persons (PAPs) to apply for a BAC. Once directed, the PAP has 28 days to submit the application.
As of December 2024, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a guidance containing criteria to assess applications for a building assessment certificate (BAC).
The criteria will be used by the assessor to ensure consistency, and this will be continuously reviewed by the BSR so if the criteria change it will be reflected in the current guidance.
The safety case report will be assessed by a BSR regulatory lead, a fire assessor and a structural assessor. The resident’s engagement strategy and information about the mandatory occurrence reporting system will be assessed by the BSR regulatory lead.
Criteria assessed by the BSR regulatory lead:
• Description and basic information
• Risk assessment/description of building safety risks and steps taken
• Safety management system (SMS)
• Emergency arrangements
Criteria assessed by the fire assessor:
• Basic information about the building
• Building safety risk assessment
• Compartmentation
• Specific prevention and protective measures (where present)
• Management arrangements
Criteria assessed by the structural assessor:
• Basic information about the building
• Large Panel System (LPS) Buildings
• The current structural condition of the building
• Building safety risk assessment
• Arrangements for managing the ongoing structural integrity of the building
In summary, the assessment criteria should allow the PAPs to submit comprehensive information so that the applications are compliant with the current BSR requirements.