OPSS Building Materials Office to Get £1 Million

The UK Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) will get about £1 million to set up an office to oversee the safety of construction products. On its agenda will be a review of testing weaknesses related to such products, including preventing "abuse of the testing system."

The announcement (bit.ly/367EDFS) asserted:

"The regulator will have strong enforcement powers including the ability to conduct its own product-testing when investigating concerns. Businesses must ensure that their products are safe before being sold in addition to testing products against safety standards."

"This marks the next major chapter in the government's fundamental overhaul of regulatory systems. The progress on regulatory reform includes the publication of an ambitious draft Building Safety Bill, representing the biggest improvements to regulations in 40 years, and a new Building Safety Regulator that is already up and running in shadow form."

The new office also will interact with the nation's Building Safety Regulator and Trading Standards. Formation comes a year after a government report (bit.ly/3sX1Nsg) that recommended the new office, among many other ideas.

The impetus was the 2017 high-rise fire at the Grenfell Tower in London that resulted in 72 deaths. Spread was linked to cladding and insulation. Subsequent investigation and inquiry found problems with materials testing.