Project Safety Journal

Judith Hackitt speaking at the APS annual conference in 2026. Image: APS Dame Judith Hackitt backed the Association for Project Safety (APS) to be a catalyst for change in the construction industry at its annual conference.

Rooftop renewables are no longer just about net zero, but compliance too. Simon Berry explains the regulations and legislation governing solar PV installations in social housing Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have moved rapidly from niche technology to mainstream building infrastructure.

The Association for Project Safety (APS) has announced the appointment of Sofie Hooper as CEO, ahead of its annual conference today (9 September).

It is my honour in the run-up to my last APS conference to draft the welcome to Project Safety Journal, which will land on your desk just before our face-to-face conference titled Beyond Compliance: When regulation is only the starting point. When I set out on my presidential journey with APS, my ambition and vision was short, but perhaps not simple: to drive up competence across the sector. Where to start? APS, as my professional body, had long supported my own journey of professionalising.

Compliance and ongoing validation of your professional credentials is now becoming a reality for those working in the construction industry. The response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which exposed deep flaws in how the industry operated and was policed, has been widespread and far-reaching.

Training offered SSE employees a realistic environment in which they could discuss how decisions are made under pressure It is a scenario every site manager recognises. A project is behind schedule, a crucial piece of paperwork has not been signed off, and the pressure to move forward is quietly mounting. In the high-risk world of power transmission and distribution, these moments matter.

Stewart McArthur is an an independent construction assessor at Bureau Veritas Stewart McArthur was drawn to safety even prior to joining the construction sector as a teenager in the 1980s. He had a short stint in catering and was already noticing “they’re not the best at doing fire design” in the hotel he was working in before he decided to switch his career from the kitchen to the building site.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) second Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the CDM Regulations 2015 is an important moment to reflect on how CDM is working in practice in the UK construction sector. Standard statutory reviews serve to ask a simple question: did the regulations achieve their objectives, and do those objectives remain fit for purpose?

Reforms to Wales’s building control framework officially took effect on 1 July 2026. Enacted under the Building Safety Act 2022 and accompanying Welsh regulations, these updates alter how building work is designed, managed and approved. While there is a particular focus on higher-risk buildings (HRBs) the changes apply to most forms of controlled building work, including many domestic projects such as extensions, loft conversions and structural alterations.

Respirable crystalline silica is generated when brick, concrete, mortar, stone, tiles and plasterboard are cut, drilled or demolished. Image: Dreamstime Senior managers in construction don’t have the awareness, knowledge or organisational support needed to manage silica dust, according to a new study funded through the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)’s .