Government to set up building products watchdog
The government has unveiled plans for a new national regulator of construction products and materials
The new body will be formed within the Office for Product Safety and Standards, which will be handed £10 million to establish its new function.
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The regulator will have the power to remove any product from the market if it presents a safety risk and can prosecute companies who ‘flout the rules’ on product safety.
It will also be able to test products as part of investigations into whether materials are being wrongly sold as safe or as meeting a specific standard.
National construction products regulator established to ‘build homes safer’ following Grenfell revelations
The establishment of a new national construction products regulator was announced by UK Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick on 19 January, in response to the revelations from the Grenfell Inquiry that manufacturers were knowingly ignoring safety rules.
The regulator “will have the power to remove any product from the market that presents a significant safety risk and prosecute any companies who flout the rules on product safety”.
In the announcement, the Government directly referenced the fallout of the Grenfell Tower Fire Inquiry, which “shone a light on the dishonest practice by some manufacturers of construction products”.
National regulator established to ensure homes are built from safe materials
Action taken as Grenfell Inquiry reveals manufacturers ignored safety rules
Independent review will examine faults in the system and recommend how abuse can be prevented
Residents will be protected through the establishment of a national regulator which will ensure materials used to build homes will be made safer, the Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced today (19 January 2021).
The regulator for construction products will have the power to remove any product from the market that presents a significant safety risk and prosecute any companies who flout the rules on product safety.
A new regulator will be set up to ensure the safety of building materials after deeply disturbing evidence of malpractice was heard at the Grenfell Inquiry, the Government has said.
The investigation into the fatal fire which killed 72 people in 2017 has heard that some firms involved in the production of materials used on the tower s flammable cladding deliberately manipulated fire tests and marketing materials.
Now, a regulator for construction products will be able to remove any products from the market that pose a safety risk and prosecute any companies that are found to be flouting rules.
If there are concerns about a product, the new body will be able to conduct its own tests against existing safety standards.