26th February 2025 marked a significant achievement for Black Boots Technology: BB-SCR became the first AI-powered safety case reporting platform to achieve complete compliance with the Building Safety Regulator’s assessment criteria for Building Assessment Certificate applications.
This isn’t just a technical update, it’s a fundamental enhancement that directly impacts the quality, compliance, and acceptance rate of every Safety Case Report generated through our platform. For property professionals facing the daunting task of BAC applications, this milestone translates to one simple benefit: confidence that your Safety Case Report meets every single regulatory expectation.
Understanding the BSR’s Regulatory Authority
The BSR plays a crucial role in maintaining safety and standards for residential buildings in England, particularly those classified as higher-risk. As part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the BSR collaborates with local authorities and fire and rescue services to regulate building safety and ensure compliance.
The BSR is the lead regulatory body for BACs, which provide a transparent evaluation of a building’s safety status. To apply for a BAC, the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) must submit key documents, including a Safety Case Report, Resident Engagement Strategy, and Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Policy. Recently, the BSR has published new assessment criteria for BAC applications.
Decoding the Assessment Requirements
The Compliance Challenge
The BSR’s assessment framework comprises 126 distinct requirements that every BAC application must satisfy. This isn’t a simple checklist where you tick boxes and move on. It’s a sophisticated evaluation matrix that examines every aspect of your building safety management approach. Building information must be complete and accurate, with no gaps or inconsistencies that raise questions about your understanding of the asset. Risk assessment methodology and quality come under intense scrutiny. Generic, template-based approaches are quickly identified and found wanting. Control measure effectiveness must be demonstrated, not just asserted.
The BSR wants evidence that your safety measures actually work in practice. Safety management systems must be robust and embedded in your operational culture, not just documented policies that sit on a shelf. Resident engagement evidence must prove genuine consultation and communication, showing residents are active participants in building safety. Mandatory occurrence reporting procedures must be clear, accessible, and demonstrably operational. Accountable person competency and governance structures must inspire confidence that safety is taken seriously at the highest levels. Golden Thread information integrity ensures that critical building safety data remains accurate, accessible, and current throughout the building’s lifecycle.
How We Achieved Full Alignment
To ensure BB-SCR fully aligns with the new BSR assessment criteria, we undertook a comprehensive update process.
Step 1 – Expansion of Assessment Criteria
We meticulously reviewed and expanded each assessment criterion to understand its full scope and implications. This detailed analysis ensured we understood exactly what the BSR expects from each requirement.
Step 2 -Compliance Assessment
We conducted a thorough assessment of BB-SCR’s existing features and functionalities against each criterion to identify any gaps. This honest evaluation revealed where enhancements were needed to achieve full compliance.
Step 3 – Compliance Enhancement
We evaluated various approaches to ensure full compliance with each criterion, focusing on enhancing BB-SCR’s capabilities and user experience. Our goal was to meet regulatory requirements whilst maintaining platform usability and efficiency.
Step 4 – Development and Testing
We developed and implemented the necessary updates to BB-SCR, followed by rigorous testing and retesting to guarantee accuracy and reliability. This iterative process ensured every enhancement worked as intended before release.
Key Enhancements in BB-SCR
Building Safety Management
BB-SCR includes a mandatory field to record building safety director details, ensuring compliance with Section 111 of the Building Safety Act 2022. This makes it easier for users to manage and demonstrate compliance with this important aspect of the legislation. The dedicated field ensures this critical information isn’t overlooked during Safety Case Report preparation.
Enhanced Transparency and Usability of Risk Assessments
The output document provides a clearer and more comprehensive representation of the risk assessment process, improving transparency and usability for stakeholders. This helps users to more effectively communicate and manage building safety risks. Assessors can now easily understand the methodology and reasoning behind risk evaluations.
Structured Overview of Maintenance and Inspections
The output document provides a more structured overview of maintenance and inspection arrangements, including statutory inspections. This helps users to demonstrate compliance and manage building safety risks more effectively. The clear structure makes it easier for BSR assessors to verify that appropriate maintenance regimes are in place.
Comprehensive Emergency Response Documentation
A comprehensive question in the Building Information section ensures detailed documentation of how urgent and emergency work is managed. This provides greater visibility into emergency response processes and ensures a structured approach to handling critical maintenance issues. Users can now demonstrate preparedness for emergency situations with clear, documented procedures.
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