The Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 claimed 72 lives and exposed major failings across parts of the construction, products and regulatory system. On 19th May 2026, the BBC reported that police and prosecutors are now considering potential criminal charges against up to 57 individuals and 20 organisations connected to the disaster, with possible offences including gross negligence manslaughter, corporate manslaughter, fraud and health and safety breaches.
The same reporting highlighted findings from the Grenfell Inquiry, which described “systematic dishonesty” by some companies involved in the manufacture and sale of cladding and insulation products, alongside failures in oversight, testing and accountability across the wider system.
Since the tragedy, the construction and built environment sectors have undergone significant regulatory and cultural change, with much stronger focus on accountability, competence, compliance, product transparency and resident safety. The introduction of the Building Safety Act has reshaped responsibilities across the built environment, placing greater accountability on clients, designers, contractors and those responsible for managing higher risk buildings.
Since the tragedy, the construction and built environment sectors have undergone significant regulatory and cultural change, with much stronger focus on accountability, competence, compliance, product transparency and resident safety. The introduction of the Building Safety Act has reshaped responsibilities across the built environment, placing greater accountability on clients, designers, contractors and those responsible for managing higher risk buildings.
The Building Safety Regulator has also introduced stronger oversight and enforcement powers, alongside increased focus on maintaining accurate building information throughout a building’s lifecycle through the “golden thread” approach. The sector has also seen far greater scrutiny around construction products, including testing, certification, traceability and ongoing compliance. There is now much wider recognition that product performance alone is not enough and that competence in installation, maintenance and inspection is equally important.
“The Grenfell tragedy changed the dialogue around building safety permanently,” explains DHF’s Deputy CEO, Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens. “The inquiry findings and the recent updates around potential criminal charges have reinforced the importance of accountability, transparency and competence across the whole supply chain.
“One of the clearest lessons from Grenfell is that safety cannot rely on assumptions or disjointed responsibility. Everyone involved in the process has an important role to play in ensuring products are correctly specified, tested, installed and maintained.”
DHF continues to work closely with Government departments, regulators, certification bodies and industry stakeholders to help support practical and effective implementation of ongoing reforms. The federation has submitted comments and feedback to the Government consultation on Construction Products Reform and continues to engage with proposals linked to the Building Safety Regulator and wider construction products reform programmes. DHF is also currently preparing comments on BS 8670-2 and gathering feedback from members to help inform its response.
The proposed reforms represent one of the most significant overhauls of construction product regulation in decades. Current proposals place greater emphasis on product traceability, accurate product information, digital record keeping, testing, certification and accountability throughout the supply chain.
“We are seeing a much greater focus on evidence based compliance, product traceability and demonstrable competence across the sector,” says Patricia. “There is also increased demand for third party certification, audited processes and stronger quality assurance. The industry has moved into a far more compliance focused environment. Organisations are expected to show clear systems around risk management, training and ongoing monitoring.”
In addition to its regulatory engagement work, DHF continues to support members through technical guidance, training programmes and competency development initiatives. This summer, it will launch its new Core Competence in Building Hardware Training Programme.
The programme has been designed to help address knowledge gaps and improve technical understanding and compliance awareness relating to building hardware products. DHF has also contributed to the development of competence frameworks covering the installation of metal doorsets, industrial doors and shutters, and automated gates. These frameworks help define the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for safe and compliant installation.
“Competence is now central to regulatory expectations across the built environment,” concludes Patricia. “Compliance has to be ongoing, evidence-based and supported by properly trained people throughout the supply chain. At DHF, we remain fully committed to supporting the industry through guidance, training, technical leadership and competency development. The goal is to help create a safer and more compliant built environment for everyone.”
www.dhflonline.org.uk
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