The Building Safety Act Industry Survey, delivered with support from Barbour ABI and shaped in part by the Building Safety Regulator’s Industry Competence Committee (ICC), invites MEP professionals to report how the 2022 legislation is affecting operational processes, management systems and workforce competence. BESA said the findings will help build a clearer picture of how organisations and supply chains are adapting to the Act’s requirements.

The Association added that ICC involvement has helped refine questions around future competence expectations and policy development, giving the Regulator better insight into the challenges facing firms and the support needed to achieve compliance.

The survey takes less than ten minutes to complete, and responses are confidential. Although the Act does not fully apply in the devolved nations, BESA is encouraging participation from across the UK to understand sector readiness and any cross-border implications.

This year’s research also tackles several contentious issues, including the requirement for project records dating back up to 30 years, the risk of compliance trade-offs under time and cost pressure, and the need for contractors to challenge client decisions that could compromise safety or long-term operational performance.

Rachel Davidson, BESA’s director of specialist knowledge, said the survey had grown in importance since its launch. “The first two years focused heavily on awareness and understanding of roles and responsibilities,” she said. “This year we are looking closely at operational maturity and how the legislation is affecting real-life projects, including its impact on business growth and where competence gaps lie.”

Davidson said the Association wanted to understand how businesses are managing competence, governance, leadership and compliance “in practice”, rather than solely through policy documents. She urged anyone working in the built environment to take part and share the survey within their networks to strengthen the evidence base for industry, the Regulator and government.

To encourage participation, BESA is offering entry into a prize draw for five £100 Amazon vouchers, free copies of the final report for all respondents, and a £1 donation to the Lighthouse mental health charity for every completed survey.