Safety critical products

In 2022, the government published guidance 'Construction products regulatory framework: factsheet' (now withdrawn) suggesting that: "Some construction products would have a greater impact than others on the health and safety of people if they were to fail. Products will be identified as ‘safety critical’ where they could cause death or serious injury if they were to fail. We recognise that products which are not identified as safety critical could also have an impact on health and safety. That is why we will require products that are not safety critical to meet a general safety requirement."

The government suggested that it will: "...require manufacturers to supply clear and accurate performance information when placing such products on the market. This will enable designers and installers to make good, informed choices about the products they use, to better enable them to design combinations of products that will meet the requirements set out in building regulations."

In July 2023, CPI defined a safety critical construction product as a construction product that has a structural or fire protection function, where if it failed serious harm would result. These include, for example (list not exhaustive):

• structural steelwork
• all external cladding systems/materials
• roof systems
• construction products with a fire suppression and retardation property (i.e. fire doors, but not internal doors without a fire rating), fire stops and intumescent materials

Ref: https://www.cpicode.org.uk/faq/#safety-critical

See also: A Guide to Managing Safety Critical Elements in Building Construction.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• A Guide to Managing Safety Critical Elements in Building Construction.
• Building safety.
• Building safety certificate.
• Building safety Act.
• Fire.
• Fire safety Act.
• Fire safety design.
• Flexible courses for lifelong learning.
• Golden thread.
• Grenfell articles.
• Hackitt review.
• Health and safety.