Newsletters
November 2026
November is here, the clocks have gone back and the darker evenings are certainly making themselves felt.
With winter approaching, it is a good time to think about the additional challenges that colder weather and shorter working days can bring.
For those working in construction, this means reviewing site arrangements, lighting, access routes and the precautions needed to keep everybody safe as conditions change.
There has also been plenty happening across the wider industry. The Building Safety Regulator has published another encouraging set of figures, although increasing application numbers continue to present challenges. Meanwhile, recent HSE prosecutions remind us why effective planning, supervision and communication remain so important.
One theme that stands out this month is the difference between having procedures in place and actually following them.
It is something that applies across virtually every area of health and safety management. Whether we are talking about construction work, asbestos, water or general workplace safety, good information and well-established procedures are only effective when they are put into practice.
What’s happening at Ai Solutions?
We continue to focus on providing practical software solutions to help organisations manage their health and safety responsibilities.
Our CDM ToolKit CS Cloud solution supports the management of construction projects and associated documentation, including Pre-Construction Information, Construction Phase Plans and Health & Safety Files.
We have also previously shared news of our development work around incorporating Building Safety Act requirements into CDM ToolKit CS Cloud and progressing our Asbestos ToolKit functionality towards the Cloud. We will continue to provide updates on these developments as there is more information to share.
In the meantime, if you would like to find out more about our existing CDM, Asbestos or Water/Legionella solutions, or arrange a demonstration, please contact the Ai Solutions team by email at [email protected], or by phone on 01525 850 343 to arrange a convenient demonstration. We look forward to hearing from you.
Health and Safety News
Construction fire highlights importance of managing hot works
A recent HSE prosecution provides a particularly striking reminder of the importance of properly planning and managing hot works on construction sites.
Four workers were forced to escape when welding operations caused a fire on the roof of a 14-storey apartment building under construction in Surrey. Sparks from the welding work ignited exposed rigid foam insulation, allowing the fire to spread rapidly across the roof.
The workers escaped through a single opening and down a ladder, but HSE found there had been no alternative escape route, no means of raising the alarm and no fire extinguishers available.
The investigation also identified that the contractor had failed to follow its own procedures for hot works. No suitable risk assessment or method statement had been prepared, and a permit to work had not been issued. The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and was fined £20,000, with additional costs.
Fortunately, the workers escaped without the consequences being far more serious.
The case illustrates an important principle: having written procedures is only the starting point. Those procedures need to be communicated, implemented and monitored throughout the work.
Find out more: Read the HSE prosecution report and its guidance on fire safety in construction.
Managing CDM responsibilities? CDM ToolKit CS Cloud provides a structured approach to managing project information and core CDM documentation. Contact Ai Solutions if you would like to discuss how the system could support your organisation.
Building Safety Regulator — further progress on Gateway 2 applications
The latest figures from the Building Safety Regulator provide further evidence of improving performance in the processing of higher-risk building applications.
For the 12-week period ending 5 October 2026, the regulator reported an overall Gateway 2 approval rate of 87%, with 330 applications approved from 378 decisions.
More than 20,000 residential units had cleared Gateway 2 during the reporting period.
For new higher-risk buildings and conversions, the approval rate reached 97%, with a median approval time of 23 weeks.
External remediation applications also showed improvement, with an approval rate of 87% nationally. However, the regulator continues to face a substantial workload. There were 1,706 Gateway 2 applications in progress at the end of September, with an increase in submissions ahead of the Building Safety Levy coming into effect on 1 October.
The regulator has also introduced additional checks before rejecting applications, recognising the potentially significant consequences for projects where an application is refused.
The figures suggest that progress is being made, although the quality and completeness of submitted information remain important considerations. For those involved with higher-risk buildings, effective coordination of project information continues to be essential.
Find out more: Read the latest Building Safety Regulator Gateway 2 transparency data.
Domestic construction — CDM responsibilities do not disappear at home
Domestic construction projects can sometimes appear relatively straightforward when compared with larger commercial developments. However, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 apply to domestic construction work too.
A domestic client is someone having construction work carried out on their own home, or the home of a family member, where the work is not being undertaken as part of a business. Although domestic clients are not generally expected to manage construction health and safety themselves, the regulations establish arrangements for their duties to be carried out by the relevant contractors or designers.
Where more than one contractor is involved, the Principal Contractor and Principal Designer arrangements become particularly important. The Principal Contractor must plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the construction phase, while the Principal Designer has responsibilities for coordinating health and safety during the pre-construction phase.
A Construction Phase Plan is required for construction projects, including domestic work, and must be prepared before the construction phase begins. The key message is that domestic projects still require appropriate planning and coordination, even where the work appears relatively modest.
Find out more: HSE provides guidance for domestic clients and contractors undertaking domestic construction projects.
Managing domestic construction projects? Ai Solutions can help organisations manage the information and documentation associated with their CDM responsibilities. Contact our team to discuss the available solutions.
Construction output — further signs of a slowdown
The latest construction figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest that activity weakened during the summer. Total construction output fell by an estimated 1.0% in the three months to August 2026, representing the second consecutive decrease in the three-monthly series. New work declined by 1.4%, while repair and maintenance fell by 0.3%. Private new housing was the largest negative contributor to the decrease, falling by 3.2% over the three-month period. The monthly figures also showed a decline, with construction output falling by 0.2% in August.
This represented the fourth consecutive monthly decrease following revisions to the earlier figures. However, repair and maintenance activity increased by 0.4% during August, demonstrating that different parts of the industry continue to experience different conditions.
As always, construction statistics need to be viewed over a longer period rather than drawing conclusions from one month's figures. Nevertheless, the latest data will be of interest to businesses planning workloads, resources and investment over the coming months. The next ONS construction output release is scheduled for 12 November.
Find out more: Read the latest Construction Output in Great Britain bulletin.
Asbestos — keeping information available before work begins
Managing asbestos remains an important responsibility for those responsible for maintaining, repairing or refurbishing buildings. HSE guidance explains that asbestos can be present in buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000.
Where asbestos-containing materials are present, information about their location and condition needs to be available to those who may disturb them during their work. This is particularly important for maintenance contractors, electricians, plumbers and others undertaking relatively small tasks within existing buildings.
The duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises includes identifying asbestos-containing materials, assessing their condition, preparing and maintaining a management plan and ensuring that relevant information is provided to those who need it. An asbestos register is therefore much more than a document to be filed away. It needs to remain accurate, accessible and useful as buildings change and maintenance work is undertaken. Where refurbishment or demolition work is planned, additional survey requirements may apply.
Good asbestos management depends on maintaining the information and making sure that it reaches the people carrying out the work.
Find out more: HSE provides guidance on the duty to manage asbestos and preparing asbestos registers and management plans.
Managing asbestos across multiple properties? Ai Solutions' Asbestos ToolKit CS supports asbestos registers, surveys, management plans, risk assessments and associated records. Contact the team to discuss how our software could help manage your asbestos information.
Work-related stress — an important health and safety issue
November also brings Stress Awareness Week, running from 2–6 November 2026.
HSE is using the week to encourage employers and managers to take practical steps to prevent and manage work-related stress.
Work-related stress remains one of the leading causes of work-related ill health in Great Britain. HSE's Working Minds campaign highlights the importance of recognising potential causes of stress and taking action before they affect workers' health and wellbeing. Its approach encourages employers to reach out, recognise the signs and causes of stress, respond appropriately, reflect on what is working and make these activities routine.
HSE also identifies six areas that can contribute to work-related stress: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Construction can be a demanding industry, with tight deadlines, changing workloads and pressure to deliver projects on time. While these pressures cannot always be removed entirely, employers should assess the risks and take appropriate steps to manage them.
Good health and safety management is about protecting both physical and mental wellbeing.
Find out more: HSE's Working Minds campaign provides free tools and guidance to help employers manage work-related stress.
A final thought...
One of this month's HSE cases concerned a company that already had procedures for managing dangerous work. The difficulty was that those procedures were not followed It is a useful reminder that producing documentation, however important, is not the same as managing risk.
Across CDM, Asbestos, Legionella and general workplace safety, the real value comes from ensuring that information is accurate, available and acted upon.
As we move towards the end of another busy year, perhaps it is a good opportunity to review whether our own systems and procedures are working as intended.
Have a safe and productive November.
The Ai Solutions Team