Peter Baker has been appointed to the new Chief Inspector of Buildings role, which will head up the establishment of and lead the new Building Safety Regulator.
Peter Baker will take up the post with immediate effect, and is currently the HSE’s Director of Building Safety and Construction, having been with the organisation for over 30 years. The HSE was asked to establish a new Building Safety Regulator by the Government following recommendations in the ‘Building a Safer Future’ report by Dame Judith Hackitt, in response to the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
The Chief Inspector of Buildings role will see Mr Baker heading up the establishment of and leading the Building Safety Regulator to deliver the new regime for high risk buildings, overseeing work to increase competence of professionals involved in their construction and management, and ensuring effective oversight of the building safety environment. Mr Baker will also lead in providing independent, expert advice to all stakeholders in building safety, including the Government.
Mr Baker said: “I am honoured to be appointed as the first Chief Inspector of Buildings and for the opportunity to play a lead role in bringing about the biggest change in building safety for a generation. I look forward to working with government, industry, partner regulators and residents to shape and deliver a world-class risk-based regulatory system for the safety and standards of buildings that residents can have confidence in and that we can all be proud of.”
The creation of the Building Safety Regulator is a key component of the Government’s reforms of the building safety system, and its creation and functions form part of the draft Building Safety Bill published in July 2020. HSE is leading the work to design, develop and deliver the Regulator’s functions on behalf of the Government, working with industry, MHCLG, Home Office, local authorities, fire and rescue services, residents and other stakeholders to ensure the role is ‘fit for purpose’.
Sarah Newton, HSE’s Chair said: “I would like to congratulate Peter on his appointment as the new Chief Inspector of Buildings. Peter has a long track record of working in partnership with industry and other regulators to bring about behavioural and culture change that improves people’s safety. His deep understanding of assessing and managing hazards and risk makes him ideally suited to shape and lead the implementation of the new building safety regime”
Dame Judith Hackitt, Independent adviser to Government on Building Safety and Chair of the Transition Board said: “I am delighted to hear of Peter Baker’s appointment as the new Chief inspector of Buildings. With his impressive background experience in regulating both major hazards industries and construction, he brings a wealth of experience to this important new role. I very much look forward to working with Peter as the new Building Safety Regulator is established as we move to establish a new regime where people can be confident that their homes are safe and fit for purpose.”
Minister for Building Safety, Lord Greenhalgh added: “I welcome the appointment of Peter Baker as the first national Chief Inspector of Buildings. Peter will use his and HSE’s wealth of experience to implement a tougher regulatory regime. I look forward to working with Peter and his team to ramp up engagement with residents and the sector as part of the biggest changes to building safety in a generation, backed by our £5 billion investment to fully fund the cost of replacing unsafe cladding for all leaseholders in residential buildings 18 metres (6 storeys) and over in England. We have a comprehensive plan to remove unsafe cladding, support leaseholders, restore confidence to this part of the housing market and ensure this situation never arises again.”
IFSEC Global Editor, James Moore, recently spoke to Peter Baker, read the full interview here…
This article was originally published on IFSEC Global.
