Preparing a safety case report

The purpose of a safety case reportPurpose

TheA safety case report summarisessets out the building safety caserisks forof a high-rise residential building. It identifies building safety risks and explains how they are being managed.

BuildingA safetyhigh-rise risksresidential arebuilding thehas riskat of:least:

• the7 spreadstoreys ofor fireis inat theleast building18 metres high
• structural2 failureresidential of the buildingunits 

High-rise residential buildings

ABuilding high-risesafety residentialrisks buildingare hasthe atrisk least:of: 

• 7the storeysspread orof isfire ator leastsmoke 18in metresthe highbuilding 
• 2structural residentialfailure unitsof the building 

The building must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) before people live there. Thesethere. These buildings are known as higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022.2022

When toyou prepareneed anda submitsafety thecase report

As the principal accountable person (PAP), you should prepare the safety case report as soon as possible when:when: 

• the building is already occupied or becomes occupiedoccupied 
• you become the PAP   

Building assessment certificate

You must submitsend BSR a copy of your safety case report report: 

• when BSR tells you to apply for a building assessment certificate. 
• at any time when BSR asks you for it

To help identify the latest version of your report, include a date, or version number, or both.

YourBasic reportbuilding must containinformation

Registration number

ProvideIn your safety case report include the building’sbuilding’s:

• name, if it has one
• full postal address
• registration number.number, Itthis begins with ‘HRB’ and is quoted when BSR contacts you.

  Buildingyou

• build descriptiondate
• height
• number of storeys above ground level
• floorplans for each type of storey layout
• location, using a map or photo, or both  

YourYou report should include:also describe the:

• thenumber nameand type of residential units, like flats or maisonettes
• common parts, for example community room, bin store, underground parking
• resident profile, for example if any residents need help to evacuate or have additional needs, this should be the same as in your resident engagement strategy
• other building anduses itswhich fullare postalnot addressresidential
• asurrounding photographarea
• services orand maputilities ofprovided to the building’sbuilding, locationincluding isolation points
• if the building is supplied with gas, include whether gas is supplied to individual flats and, if so, piping routes 

Changes of use

If yourthe building ishas partchanged ofuse asince widerits development,original provideconstruction, ainclude briefthis descriptionin your safety case report. For each change of ituse and:describe:

• anywhat sharedthe facilitieschange of use is
• when the nearbychange areaof includinguse otherhappened
• how buildingsthe change is relevant to building safety risks
• the loading design limits of the building and transporthow routesto prevent overloading 

RiskMulti-building assessments summarydevelopments

DescribeIf the building safetyis risksone forof a number of structures, include a description of the wholewider development. This should include any shared facilities such as plant rooms and parking.

Missing information

If you have not found all the information about the building you need, you should explain in your report what you did to try and find it.

People responsible for the incidentsbuilding

You theyshould couldinclude cause.in Doyour report the name and phone number or email address of:

• the PAP
• the building owner, if this byis usingnot the riskPAP
• any assessmentsother carriedaccountable outpersons (APs) for the building
• any responsible persons under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the ‘Fire Safety Order’)
• any bymanaging agents for the building  

Include details about how the APs share relevant information with each accountableother personand (with you.

If you or another AP). is a resident management company and has appointed a building safety director, include details of the building safety director.

Construction methods and materials

ForYour eachreport should contain the main structural elements of the building, such as:

• materials of construction, be clear about where different materials are used in different parts of the building
• construction methods used, for example, large panel system
• the primary load bearing methods, for example, pre-cast planks on a steel frame
• stability, for example, concrete shear walls
• secondary systems relevant to building safety risk,risks, describefor eachexample, incidentcladding itsupport couldsystems
• materials cause,used and:in other elements, for example, facade, wall attachment, roofing, basement or underground levels
• foundations and local ground conditions such as flood risk and underground tunnels   

Structural condition of the building

Your report should contain any history of structural problems with the building, describe:

• the structural problems, and how likelythe itproblems iswere identified
• the incidentactions couldtaken happento investigate them
• any remedial measures taken 

Set out how ityou mightmake getsure worsethat ifthe itbuilding doesstays happenstructurally sound. For a building:

• more than 3 years old, explain what arrangements are in place
• less than 3 years old, explain what you plan to do to manage the consequencesstructure couldin bethe future 

ManagingStructural riskssurveys summaryand inspections 

YouIf should:any surveys or inspections have been carried out to assess the current structural condition of the building, include:

• describethe whattype eachand APscope isof doingthe tostructural managesurveys buildingor safetyinspections
• the risksmethods used, such as visual or invasive
• who carried them out
• why the approach was taken
• the findings 

If the survey or inspection was done:

• in-house, explain how you made sure the people involved were competent to carry out the survey or inspection
• by a third party, explain how eachyou APselected isthem takingand allchecked reasonabletheir stepscompetence to managework buildingon high-rise safetyresidential buildings 

Include a summary of the findings and any recommended actions. Include details about actions that:

• have been completed, and when they were completed
• have not yet been completed, including timescales for completion and any temporary measures put in place to mitigate risks
• have not been acted upon and explain why

Include details about how you keep up to date with structural developments, such as signing up for safety alerts.

Information about the structural condition of the building should be included in the building safety risk assessments.

Building work, refurbishment and remediation

Include a summary of any building work, refurbishment or remediation since original construction that could have affected building safety risks. State the year the work was completed.

SafetyLarge managementpanel system (LPS) buildings 

ProvideFor LPS buildings, state whether remediation has been carried out since the Ronan Point collapse in 1968. Include a summary of the remediation work, and if there are:

• records of the work, state if there were any sample checks verifying the work
• no records of the work, set out how the building’s safetystructural managementcondition systems.has Dobeen thisdetermined 

If bythe usingbuilding relevanthas informationnot frombeen eachremediated, APset out the measures taken to prevent structural failure because of LPS. weaknesses.

Building work in progress or planned 

YourIf summarybuilding shouldwork includeis ain generalprogress, overviewor is planned to take place, your report should include:

• a description of the work
• when the work is expected to be completed
• the steps taken to manage building safety managementrisks systemsuntil inthe place.work Itis mustcomplete 

Fire alsosafety includemeasures

In your report, state how you know what the building’s fire safety standards are, for example:

• you know the standards the building was built to
• you’ve inferred the standards based on factors such as build date, height and type of building
• the building was constructed using a fire-engineered solution, based on design and agreement with a fire engineer

Describe the building’s main features relevant to the spread of fire, including:

• external wall systems
• structural fire protection, such as cladding or fire-resistant coatings
• prevention and protection measures areto beingmanage testedthe risk of fire spread, such as smoke control systems, sprinklers and maintained.alarms

If the building has balconies, describe their:

• type, for example Juliet, cantilever, hung, stacked, internal
• attachment methods
• structural and decorative materials
• dimensions 

YourInclude a summary mustof describeany:

• incidents theinvolving policiesspread of fire, including any reported to BSR and proceduresrecorded inon placeyour mandatory occurrence reporting system
• enforcement action relevant to managespread of fire under the Fire Safety Order, or by BSR 

Compartmentation

Provide information about the compartmentation in the building workincluding:

• firefighting shafts including lift shafts and wells
• fire resistance between floors
• compartmentation between the basement, if there is one, and the ground floor
• compartmentation between individual residential units and other changes,areas whichsuch includesas bin stores, plant rooms and car parks
• fire resistance between residential corridors and flats, between flats, above false ceilings
• penetrations into residential units such as services and utilities, for example water pipes, gas pipes and electrical cables
• where the building is mixed-use, compartmentation between residential and non-residential parts of the building

Describe the building’s compartmentation standards, such as for floors, walls, shafts, and load bearing elements.

Explain how APsyou manage any maintenance, or work of third parties, that could affect compartmentation.

Fire doors 

You should show that fire doors are in place in necessary locations, such as entrance doors to flats, stairs and lobbies.  

If you or any other AP check:carries out a fire door survey, include the:

• competence of the designerssurveyor
• the survey’s significant findings, including the AP’s response 

Provide evidence that fire doors and contractorsdoor appointedclosers are competentregularly inspected to doensure thethey work properly and remain in good condition.

Methods of smoke control

Describe the methods of smoke control in the building. These could include:

• natural smoke control systems
• mechanical smoke ventilation systems
• pressure differential systems 

Escape routes

Describe the qualitynumber of escape routes, along with travel distances and any dead ends.

Stairs

Provide information about the materialsstaircases usedin the building, including:

• the number of staircases
• if they are upfirefighting toor standardescape stairs, and if they are internal or external
• if they serve all floors and flats, or just some
• if they serve areas shared with other blocks such as basements and car parks
• the width, including whether the width changes  

Detection and warning systems

Include details of any fire detection and warning systems.

Sprinklers or other suppression systems

Describe any suppression systems, such as their:

• locations and coverage
• specifications, such as activation temperature, maintenance and testing requirements
• water supply
• power supply 

Building safety risk assessments

Your report should contain a summary of the building safety risk assessments carried out by each AP. 

You can read the guidance about assessing building safety risks. areIt beingtells managedyou whilewhat APs should cover in a building safety risk assessment and how to carry them out.

Describe how the workrisk isassessments beingwere donecarried out

Include in your report:

• the risk assessment processes used to identify building safety risks, such as HAZID or bow tie
• who was involved in the risk assessments, their competence and their specialist expertise 

PlanningDescribe forthe emergenciesfindings and recommendations

ProvideInclude a summary of the building’ssignificant emergencyfindings plans.and Dorecommended thisactions byfrom usingthe relevantrisk informationassessments.

Include froma description of the:

• possible safety risk scenarios identified by each AP.

• likelihood of each scenario happening
• consequences of each scenario if it did happen 

Describe how building safety risks are managed 

Your summaryreport should includedescribe:

• what aeach generalAP overviewis doing to manage building safety risks
• how each AP is taking all reasonable steps to manage the building safety risks in their parts of the emergencybuilding

Include plansdetails forabout the wholerecommended building.actions Itfollowing mustthe alsorisk include:assessments that have:

• abeen descriptioncompleted, and when they were completed
• not yet been completed, state when they will be completed and what you have done to keep risks under control until the recommendations can be met
• not been acted upon and explain why 

The summary of the equipmentbuilding’s safety management systems should describe how actions to manage risks are tracked and completed properly and on time.

Emergency plan

Set out the emergency plan in place for the building, including:

• the evacuation strategy
• how the emergency plan has been communicated to assistresidents
• how residents needs have been taken into account, for example, if any residents need help to evacuate or have any additional needs
• how residents should respond to emergency situations

You can read guidance about reducing the severity of an incident if one occurs. It tells you more about evacuation strategies and how to communicate them to residents.

If the current evacuation strategy is different to the original design intent of the building, include an explanation of each change and the reason for that change.

Fire and emergency services

Provide suchdetails as,of drythe risers,facilities wetfor use by the fire service, including:

• firefighting shafts and any firefighting lifts
• risers and smokefire controlmains systems including type
• detailshydrant locations
• fire service vehicle access
• site drawings 

Include a description of the information givenshared with the emergency services to support their emergency planning. To understand more about this read the guidance about the information APs must share with the fire and rescue authoritiesauthority.

Review the plan

Include how you will review the emergency arrangements in place to helpmake themsure they remain effective. This should include scheduling regular testing and maintenance checks.

Safety management systems

Include a summary of the safety management systems in place that APs are using to manage building safety risks.   

Continuous improvement   

In your safety case report, include a statement which confirms your commitment to continually improve the management of building safety risks. If you have one, you can also include an action or improvement plan forthat emergencies demonstrates how you plan to improve building safety.

Roles and responsibilities

Describe the main building safety management roles, such as fire safety manager, and include:

• who currently carries out those roles
• their responsibilities
• how their competence has been checked and what you expectdo residentsto make sure their competence stays up to responddate

Maintenance and inspection work

Describe how you maintain and inspect the building, giving specific examples and schedules, for managing:

• routine maintenance work
• inspections of the building and the physical controls in anplace emergency,that manage building safety risks, (include controls that are only used occasionally, such as controls that operate automatically if a fire alarm is triggered)
• the evacuationprogress strategyof theyfixing shouldissues followthat are identified by maintenance or inspections 

Building

Describe how urgent or emergency work is managed, which includes breakdowns, damage or actions identified by other inspections.

Describe the systems that you, and other APs for the building, use to assure the:

• competence of designers and contractors that work on the buildings
• quality of materials used
• how the building safety risks are assessed and kept under control while works are being done

Managing changes

IfDescribe how you make sure that building worksafety is inprotected progress,when oryou ismake plannedchanges:

• in the building
• to takehow place,the building is managed
• to how your reportorganisation shouldis include:managed

Include:

• athe descriptiontype of thechanges workthat you will manage
• whenhow you will check and assess how changes might affect building safety risks, both during and after the workchange is expectedcompleted
• how toyou bewill make sure that controls are put back once a change has been completed
• how you will make sure the stepschange takenhas tobeen managecompleted as intended

Monitoring performance

Include evidence that demonstrates how you monitor the management of building safety risksrisks. untilDescribe:

• one theor workmore examples of what you monitor, and how you assess performance
• what you would do if performance goes down
• how performance information is completereported to senior managers

Reviewing safety management systems

Describe how and when the:

• effectiveness of each system is reviewed
• how you make sure any changes to each system are implemented

Updating your safety case report

You should update your safety case report, for example, when:

• improvement work is carried out to manage building safety risks
• work on the building impacts building safety risks

Tell Tell BSR when youabout updatechanges to your safety case report

You must must tell tell BSR as as soon as possible if you update your safety case report to include:

• new or increased building safety risks that have been identified
• further measures taken to manage risks

BSR will will ask you for:

• the date the update to the safety case report was made
• a brief description of the update
• the reason for making the updateupdate 

BSR may may ask you to provide the updated safety case report. There is a charge you will need to pay if if BSR decides decides to review the updated safety case report. This is set out in the the BSR charging charging scheme (on hse.gov.uk).