Construction Products Reform; White Paper and General Safety Requirement proposed

1 Introduction and background
2 System-wide issues to address
3 White Paper Proposed Reforms
4 The proposed General Safety Requirement
5 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] Introduction and background

The 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy exposed serious flaws in the UK’s construction products regulatory system, leaving many residents in unsafe homes. Reviews such as the Hackitt review report in 2018 and the Testing for a Safer Future: Independent Review of the Construction Products Testing Regime in 2023 highlighted institutional failures prioritising profit over safety. Much of this was reiterated by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and its final reports. Despite reforms, including bans on combustible materials and new regulatory bodies, significant gaps remain.

In February 2025 the government published its Construction Products Reform Green Paper and Consultation outlining the situation, the reforms taken, the remaining challenges, and the proposed changes to improve safety, promote economic growth, and support the construction of high-quality homes. Along with many specific details it proposed aligning UK regulations with EU standards to reduce trade friction and ensure a competitive marketplace. Responses were sought until May 2025. The Construction Products Reform Green Paper: summary of responses was updated on 25 February 2026.

On 26 February, 2026 the Government published its Construction Products Reform White Paper, outlining its proposed reforms based on feed back it had received to the green paper. As well as this it has published a newly proposed General safety requirement (GSR) for construction products. The white paper seeks further engagement regarding the proposals and next steps, whilst the GSR is a consultation paper. Below is a brief description of key elements of the White paper and the proposal for the GSR.

[edit] System-wide issues to address

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry and independent reviews identified the need for system-wide construction product reform. The following problems were corroborated by responses to the green paper consultation from February 2025.

Safety is not the central focus: The UK construction products regime was designed mainly to support trade, so many standards do not address safety and product marks are often wrongly seen as safety endorsements.
Limited regulatory coverage: Only construction products with designated standards or technical assessments are regulated, many remain unregulated, outside the national regulator’s reach even when issues are known.
Fragmented regulatory landscape: Safety risks arise at system level in buildings, fragmented regulations, overlapping responsibilities, poor integrated between product and building rules, and gaps in design, specify, install and use products.
Weak institutional oversight, competence, rigour and transparency of testing and certification: Accreditation and conformity assessment oversight and bodies undermined by conflicts of interest, lack of transparency, inconsistent testing, insufficient testing capacity and slow standards development.
Inadequate product information: Dishonest or misleading marketing and poor-quality product information make it hard to specify and install products safely.
Lack of digitalisation and poor product traceability: Fragmented uneven digital practices, unreliable and non-standardised data, and weak traceability from manufacture to installation hinder accountability.
Insufficient enforcement: Historically almost absent, fostering impunity and undermining trust. The national regulator has taken some actions, but needs full product coverage & stronger powers to deter non-compliance.
Need to drive competence, culture, and accountability: A widespread lack of competence across the supply chain, combined with a culture that often prioritises cost over safety and quality, undermining accountability.

The government Consultation on the General Safety Requirement for Construction Products argues that the current product safety regime only applies to products covered by designated standards or voluntary technical assessments. Research undertaken for the government by the Adroit Consortium suggests around 29% to 61% of products have a designated standard, with a mid-point of around 37% of the UK market being regulated under the Construction Product Regulations. This creates a regulatory gap that contributed to the systemic safety failures identified by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the General safety requirement is intend to help to fill this gap

[edit] White Paper Proposed Reforms

All construction products must meet regulatory requirements either through compliance with designated standards or through a separate route for products not covered by those standards. Products covered by designated standards must continue to follow those mandatory standards, with the UK broadly aligning with revised EU rules where this supports safety, enforcement, and digital information goals. All other products will be subject to a proportionate, risk-based general safety requirement, closing gaps so unsafe products cannot be placed on the market. Under the general safety requirement, manufacturers must assess and control safety risks in normal and foreseeable use, and importers and distributors must also meet obligations that support product safety.

Additional, proportionate measures will apply to safety‑critical products where failure could cause serious harm, taking into account the context in which they are used. Government will restore confidence in third‑party assurance by setting minimum transparency requirements so users understand what level of assurance a certification scheme actually provides.

Everyone in the construction system must be able to access clear, accurate product information, and all products will need clear labelling and understandable safety information to support safe choices. For third‑party certification, manufacturers must disclose when they test products and share any information that could affect a certificate’s validity, and the national regulator will be able to compel disclosure of relevant test data to ensure compliance. Government will support creation of a digital construction product library so clear, honest information is easily accessible and does not duplicate or confuse existing services.

Digital information systems such as digital product records should become the norm, allowing users to see safety, composition, and hazards, verify details, and support traceability along the supply chain. Construction product information will need to be available digitally under common standards, with digital records, identifiers, and traceability requirements improving issue identification, accountability, and regulatory oversight.

The future regime depends on a trustworthy, rigorously overseen testing and certification sector, with all UK conformity assessment bodies licensed by the national regulator and required to act in the public interest. New public sector testing capacity will be created to support both enforcement and research, helping innovation while ensuring new homes and other buildings are safe.

Enforcement will be strengthened with clearer responsibilities, better coordination, and a long‑term move toward a single construction regulator. Enforcement authorities will be given strong investigation and intervention powers, backed by criminal offences punishable by unlimited fines or imprisonment, and the national regulator may gain civil penalty powers plus sanctions such as director disqualification and confiscation of criminal proceeds.

Government will review and, where appropriate, improve legal routes for redress, making it easier to hold manufacturers to account where faulty cladding products have made buildings unfit to live in.

Sustainability will be built into the regime, with mandatory standards incorporating criteria that reduce environmental impact and align with the reformed EU framework, and with common methods for reporting environmental performance. Government will work with industry to promote circular‑economy practices such as reuse and recycling of materials and waste minimisation, while also supporting growth.

Clear obligations, backed by strong enforcement, are intended to embed a culture of responsibility throughout the lifecycle of construction products. Everyone involved in making or using construction products must have appropriate competence, and government expects manufacturers and testing organisations in particular to meet defined competence expectations.

Reform will be ambitious but phased, with tailored transition periods so industry, including SMEs, can adjust while housing delivery continues and alignment with EU reform timelines supports trade. Implementing the new regime will require primary and secondary legislation and parallel consultation on the general safety requirement, with government expecting industry to drive change and continuing to engage stakeholders to coordinate efforts and reflect real‑world experience.

[edit] The proposed General Safety Requirement

The General Safety Requirement (GSR) will address the gap that exists with products that are not covered by designated standards or voluntary technical assessments by operating alongside existing UK construction products regulations, bringing all products into the regulatory regime. The key proposals for the GSR include:

Mandatory risk assessment: Manufacturers must identify and assess safety risks in relation to a product’s intended and reasonably foreseeable conditions of use and implement proportionate mitigation measures.

Product information: Clear, accurate, and complete information must be provided, including detailing the intended use, technical specifications, installation guidance, safety warnings and restrictions of use. Marketing claims about safetymust be evidence-based.

Labelling and traceability: Products must carry unique identifiers and manufacturer and (where applicable) importer details, supported by digital solutions, such as QR codes, barcodes, or similar, to enable traceability to facilitate recalls.

Record keeping: Manufacturers and importers must retain risk assessments, product documentation, and safety incident records for 10 years to support accountability and enforcement.

Storage and transportation: Economic operators10 must ensure that construction products are stored and transported in ways that maintain their safety and integrity.

Obligations for importers and distributors (including merchants): These importers and distributors must verifycompliance, maintain records, and implement controls to prevent unsafe products from entering the market.

Monitoring safety issues: Economic operators must monitor products to identify and address safety risks, investigate and record complaints, and take corrective actions such as amending information or enabling the withdrawal of unsafe products from the market."

"Enforcement will be strengthened through enhanced powers for the national regulator for construction products, including market surveillance, investigatory powers, and proportionate intervention measures such as suspension, recall, and prohibition. Local authority trading standards (LATS) will also be equipped with these powers to complement the role of the national regulator. Sanctions will include civil monetary penalties, cost recovery provisions, and criminal offences for serious breaches of the overarching safety duty, supported by a clear appeals process to ensure fairness and proportionality."