Part 4: Higher-risk buildings Meaning of "building safety risk" Section 62: Meaning of "building safety risk" Background
This is a new provision.
	The Independent Review focused on fire and structural safety risks and recommended these were the initial scope for building safety risks in the new regime.
	The Government sought research from the Health and Safety Executive in relation to risks that are considered to be catastrophic to verify our approach and focus. The conclusions of this research are that the major accident hazards in scope for safety management in a higher-risk building would largely be rapid onset escalating fire, structural, or explosion events. Explosion events can trigger a rapid onset escalating fire or structural event.
Example
The following is a hypothetical example.
After the new occupation regime has been operating for two years, the Secretary of State may feel that changing weather systems mean high winds pose a risk to windows of higher-risk buildings which does not relate to the structural integrity of the building.
If the Secretary of State comes to this view, they must consult the Building Safety Regulator before making regulations to prescribe high winds as a new building safety risk. The Building Safety Regulator is under a duty to provide advice if requested to do so and may proactively recommend that high winds should be prescribed as a new building safety risk. The Secretary of State will also consult other appropriate bodies – in this scenario this might include structural engineers, environmental and weather experts.
If, following a consultation on including a new risk, the Secretary of State decides to add the new risk, regulations will be laid in Parliament under the affirmative procedure. Subject to Parliament’s approval, the occupation regime will then regulate for risk of fire spread, structural integrity and risk of high winds in higher-risk buildings.