FAQ - Health and Safety on domestic projects

The following commentary is an overview and should always be adjusted to suit the specifics of your project, making reference to source documents, in particular guidance published by the HSE.

Q: Why is Health and Safety required for small domestic projects?

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (2015 and as amended 2023 following the Grenfell tragedy) have  brought domestic projects into the sphere of existing statutory H&S compliance, similar to commercial projects.

Q: As a homeowner, what do I need to do about H&S compliance?

Domestic clients now have a theoretical responsibility for work carried out on their homes. Unless agreed otherwise, their duties are in practice however normally said  to pass to the main contractor (the builder) by default. It is prudent to alert the contractor formally to this duty.

Q: What should my designer do about H&S compliance?

Designers have statutory duty to make sure the client is made aware of the clients duties. They must design, if possible, to avoid or reduce foreseeable risks affecting the users of the building both during construction and in use. Where appropriate, they may  identify any unusual or exceptional residual risks arising that  may not otherwise be obvious to a competent contractor.

Q: What should my builder do about H&S compliance?

A competent builder should know how to manage and document projects risks in a safe manner, especially if they follow relevant HSE guidance. They will need to prepare a formal Construction Phase Plan before the work starts in order to show they have thought about Health and Safety matters from the outset.

Q: What are the implcations of Grenfell?

The Grenfell tragedy led to an industry wide review and identified a complex set of interactions in design and construction that contributed to the tragedy. Professional Indemnity premium effectively doubled as a result. At the simplest level, a 'flame resistant' insulation panel tested with a small flame under factory conditions proved to be highly combustible in an intense 'real' fire. When used as retrofit external cladding on a high rise building with only one means of escape, this type of panel actively spread the fire externally upwards across floors, bypassing small 'fire breaks' of non-combustible insulation, with devastating consequences.

Insulating foams remain in common use as they are an efficient, cost effective (and thinner), means of insulating buildings needed to meet the thermal requirements of the Building Regulations. In a typical existing domestic dwelling (detached. semi-detached, terrace) reliance is placed on having a whole house  fire alarm system, with early detection of heat and smoke, to British Standards and this is an absolute requirement for new loft conversions. New build houses in Wales must additionally have water sprinkler fire suppression systems installed from the outset.  The use of combustible insulation is seen as less critical in a typical house  as it is assumed that early detection / alarm and escape can be acheived more quickly than compared to a high-rise building in multiple occupancy, but the situation is always under review.