From 2026 onwards, the Building Safety Regulator is no longer a distant approval body operating only through formal submissions and Gateway reviews. It is now an active construction regulator with the authority to attend live sites, inspect installations, demand records and assess whether dutyholders are genuinely in control of delivery.
When a BSR inspector arrives on site, the question of who speaks to the regulator is no longer a matter of convenience or hierarchy. It is a regulated responsibility.
The wrong conversation can create regulatory exposure.
The right conversation demonstrates control.
Understanding who should engage with the regulator, and how that engagement should be handled, is now a core part of operating a compliant construction site.
The Regulator Does Not Speak to “The Site” — It Speaks to Dutyholders
Under the Building Safety Act, accountability is structured through the dutyholder regime. The regulator is not interested in general site commentary or informal explanations. It is focused on the organisations and individuals who carry legal responsibility for the safety of the building.
On a regulated project, the regulator expects to engage with:
The Principal Contractor
The Principal Designer
The Client dutyholder
The accountable person or their representative
The project’s appointed regulatory leads
These are the entities that carry statutory responsibility for design control, construction control, competence, change management and safety assurance.
Everyone else on site operates within that framework.
The regulator’s role is to test whether those dutyholders are exercising real control over the project.
The Site Manager Is the Primary Regulatory Interface
On a live construction site, the Site Manager is normally the first formal point of contact for a BSR inspector.
The Site Manager represents the Principal Contractor on the ground. They are responsible for operational control of the site, implementation of the approved design, application of the inspection regime and maintenance of compliance records.
When the regulator arrives, the Site Manager is expected to:
Confirm the site’s regulatory status
Identify the dutyholders
Confirm the approved design basis
Demonstrate operational control
Provide access to records and evidence
Coordinate the inspection process
In regulatory terms, the Site Manager is the project’s operational voice.
They are not there to provide opinions.
They are there to demonstrate systems.
The Project Manager and Construction Manager Provide Governance
On larger projects, the Project Manager and Construction Manager will normally take the lead in formal regulatory discussions.
They sit above the day-to-day site operation and are responsible for programme governance, commercial control, design coordination and dutyholder assurance.
When the regulator raises strategic questions about design control, change management, sequencing, resourcing, competence or programme risk, these conversations sit at project leadership level.
The regulator will often test whether senior leadership understands:
The approved Gateway 2 design
The fire and structural strategy
The inspection regime
The change control process
The competence framework
The Golden Thread system
If leadership cannot articulate how the project is being controlled, the regulator will record this as a governance failure.
The Dutyholder Representative Carries Legal Authority
On many regulated projects, a specific dutyholder representative is appointed. This may be a compliance director, building safety manager or regulatory lead.
This individual carries formal responsibility for:
Regulatory engagement
Gateway submissions
Compliance assurance
Safety case development
Golden Thread governance
When enforcement matters arise, this is the person the regulator will engage with.
They are not optional attendees.
They are part of the project’s legal architecture.
What About Site Supervisors and Foremen?
Site supervisors and foremen are not responsible for managing regulatory engagement. However, they are not invisible to the regulator.
Inspectors will routinely ask operational questions on the workface:
What is being built here?
What system is this part of?
What drawing is being followed?
How is it being inspected?
Who signs it off?
These questions are used to test whether compliance is embedded into site operations or only exists at management level.
Supervisors are not expected to interpret legislation.
They are expected to understand the approved design and installation requirements.
If they cannot explain what is being built or how it is controlled, the regulator will treat this as a competence failure.
Who Should Never Lead a Regulatory Conversation
There are certain roles that should never lead engagement with the regulator.
Subcontractors should not speak on behalf of the dutyholder.
Operatives should not explain compliance systems.
Temporary staff should not provide regulatory commentary.
Commercial managers should not negotiate enforcement issues.
The regulator is not interested in delivery excuses or contractual positions.
They are assessing legal compliance.
Why “Just Answer the Question” Is a Dangerous Approach
One of the most common mistakes made on regulated sites is allowing informal conversations with inspectors.
A casual explanation can become a formal statement.
A misunderstood detail can become a recorded finding.
An assumption can become a compliance failure.
Every regulatory conversation is evidence.
This is why all regulatory engagement must be controlled, documented and coordinated through the dutyholder structure.
How a Regulator-Ready Site Should Operate
On a compliant project, everyone knows the protocol.
If the regulator arrives:
The Site Manager is notified immediately
Project leadership is informed
The dutyholder representative is contacted
Records are prepared
Access is facilitated
The inspection is coordinated
No one improvises.
No one guesses.
No one hides information.
The site operates as a controlled system.
What This Means for Construction Sites in 2026
In 2026, regulatory engagement is no longer occasional, it is structural. Every regulated site must operate with a clear regulatory chain of command. Everyone must know who speaks to the regulator, who manages inspections, who provides evidence and who carries legal authority.
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Expert Verification & Authorship: Mihai Chelmus
Founder, London Construction Magazine | Construction Testing & Investigation Specialist |
