What is a building safety case?
A building safety case is the structured body of information that demonstrates how building safety risks are understood, managed and kept under review in a higher-risk building.
Read the full answerBuilding Safety Case FAQs
Straight answers on building safety cases
The questions we are asked most often by Accountable Persons, building safety managers and consultants — covering safety cases, evidence, risk assessment, software and AI.
55 questions answered
Building Safety Cases
What a safety case is, who is responsible, what it should contain and how it is kept current.
What is a building safety case report?
A building safety case report summarises the key information from the building safety case and explains how the Principal Accountable Person is managing building safety risks.
Read the full answerWhich buildings need a building safety case?
In England, safety case duties apply to occupied higher-risk buildings within the scope of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Read the full answerWho is responsible for the building safety case?
Legal responsibility sits with the Accountable Persons, with the Principal Accountable Person holding specific responsibilities for the safety case report and Building Assessment Certificate process.
Read the full answerWhat should a building safety case contain?
A good building safety case should explain the building, its relevant hazards and how the risks of fire spread and structural failure are being managed.
Read the full answerWhat does the Building Safety Regulator expect from a safety case report?
A safety case report should provide a clear and proportionate explanation of the building safety risks and how they are being managed.
Read the full answerHow do you demonstrate that building safety risks are being managed effectively?
Effective risk management requires more than identifying that a control exists — the Accountable Person needs confidence that important controls actually work.
Read the full answerHow do I know if my safety case report is any good?
A good safety case report demonstrates that the Principal Accountable Person understands the major safety risks and has taken all reasonable steps to manage them.
Read the full answerWhat does a good safety case report look like?
A good safety case report is building-specific, evidence-led and risk-based. It brings information together to show how risks are understood and controlled.
Read the full answerWhat are the BSR safety case assessment criteria?
The Building Safety Regulator publishes detailed criteria used to assess Building Assessment Certificate applications across regulatory, fire and structural disciplines.
Read the full answerIs there a BSR checklist for safety case reports?
There is no simple pass-fail checklist that guarantees a Building Assessment Certificate, but the BSR publishes the criteria its teams use.
Read the full answerWhat are the most common weaknesses in building safety case reports?
The most common weakness is treating the safety case as a compliance report rather than a risk management argument.
Read the full answerWhy has my safety case report failed?
A safety case can contain a lot of information but still fail to demonstrate that the Principal Accountable Person understands and is managing the building's safety risks.
Read the full answerWhy might the BSR request more information about my safety case?
A Request for Information does not necessarily mean the building is unsafe. It may mean the submitted information does not allow the regulator to reach the necessary judgement.
Read the full answerWhat happens if the BSR does not accept a safety case report?
A report that does not adequately demonstrate how building safety risks are managed may lead to requests for further information or contribute to a Building Assessment Certificate application being refused.
Read the full answerDoes my safety case have to prove that my building meets current standards?
Not necessarily. Many higher-risk buildings pre-date current standards, and the BSR assessment considers whether additional reasonable steps are proportionate.
Read the full answerWhat if my safety case identifies outstanding actions?
Outstanding actions do not automatically make a safety case inadequate. The key is whether they are understood and appropriately managed.
Read the full answerHow often should a building safety case be reviewed?
A safety case should be kept under continuous review rather than updated only when the regulator requests it.
Read the full answerWhat is a live building safety case?
A live building safety case changes as the building, evidence and understanding of risk change.
Read the full answerHow should I review my safety case before submitting it to the BSR?
A pre-submission review should test the report against the BSR assessment criteria and ask whether the evidence actually supports the conclusions.
Read the full answerCan an existing safety case report be improved rather than rewritten?
An existing safety case report rarely needs rewriting from scratch — the priority is improving the underlying safety case.
Read the full answerHow long does it take to prepare a building safety case?
There is no standard timescale — it depends on building complexity, information quality and how well the risks are already understood.
Read the full answerHow much does a building safety case cost?
Consultancy fees are only part of the cost — surveys, staff time, RFIs and rework often matter more.
Read the full answerCan AI check a building safety case report?
AI can support safety case quality assurance, but it should not replace competent professional judgement or the responsibilities of the Principal Accountable Person.
Read the full answerCan ChatGPT check my safety case report?
A general-purpose AI tool can help with drafting and summarising, but a meaningful pre-submission check needs to assess the report systematically against BSR criteria.
Read the full answerWhere can I get an independent review of my safety case report?
Safety case reports can be independently reviewed by competent building safety, fire and structural professionals. Cascade Verify provides a rapid AI-assisted pre-submission check.
Read the full answerCan I check a safety case before submitting my Building Assessment Certificate application?
Yes. A pre-submission review can identify issues that are much easier to resolve before the application reaches the regulator.
Read the full answerWhat is the difference between a safety case audit and a safety case review?
A review usually considers whether the report is complete, coherent and evidence-led. An audit may go further by independently testing underlying evidence and processes.
Read the full answerDoes passing an independent safety case review guarantee BSR approval?
No. No independent reviewer or AI tool can guarantee that the Building Safety Regulator will issue a Building Assessment Certificate.
Read the full answerBuilding Assessment Certificates and the BSR
What the certificate process involves, what the regulator looks for and what it does — and does not — prove.
What is a Building Assessment Certificate?
A BAC is issued by the Building Safety Regulator following its assessment of how building safety duties are being met.
Read the full answerWhat information is needed for a Building Assessment Certificate application?
The regulator needs enough information to assess whether the building safety duties are being met, with the safety case report at its core.
Read the full answerCan you resubmit a safety case report after a BSR refusal?
Yes — but the response should address the underlying risk and evidence issues, not just reword the report.
Read the full answerWhat does a proportionate and risk-based safety case look like?
It concentrates effort, evidence and scrutiny on the risks that matter most to the safety of that particular building.
Read the full answerDoes obtaining a Building Assessment Certificate mean the building is safe?
No. A certificate is a regulatory milestone, not a guarantee — building safety risk must still be managed continuously.
Read the full answerBSR response
How to respond to Requests for Information (RFIs) and Prompt Remedy Notices (PRNs) from the Building Safety Regulator.
I've received an RFI from the BSR about my safety case. What should I do?
Start by identifying what the BSR is asking you to demonstrate. An RFI is not a request for more documents — it is a regulatory question that needs a clear, risk-based answer.
Read the full answerDoes an RFI mean my safety case has failed?
No. An RFI is a request for further information or clarification. It does not necessarily mean the building is unsafe or that the safety case will be refused.
Read the full answerThe BSR says there is insufficient evidence. Do I need to commission another survey?
Not necessarily. First establish whether evidence is genuinely missing, or whether the safety case has simply failed to explain the evidence that already exists.
Read the full answerWhat is a Prompt Remedy Notice (PRN) from the BSR?
A PRN is issued where the BSR wants a particular issue addressed. It usually relates to a building feature where the safety case has not adequately explained the associated risk.
Read the full answerHow should I respond to a Prompt Remedy Notice?
Treat a PRN as a risk question, not a request for more narrative. Identify the feature, the credible failure scenarios, the consequences, the controls and the evidence behind them.
Read the full answerWhat should I do if the BSR identifies a building feature that my safety case has not adequately assessed?
Do not just describe the feature. A description tells the regulator what is there; a risk assessment explains why it matters.
Read the full answerWhat if I cannot close an information gap before the BSR response deadline?
Be transparent. A safety case does not become stronger by disguising uncertainty. Explain what is unknown, why it matters, what is known, current controls and the planned programme.
Read the full answerShould all outstanding surveys be completed before BAC submission?
Not necessarily. The important questions are why the survey is required, what uncertainty it resolves, how significant that uncertainty is, and whether the risk is adequately managed while the work remains outstanding.
Read the full answerHow can I independently check my response to a BSR RFI or PRN?
Test whether you have answered the underlying risk question, not whether you have added more text. Check understanding, evidence, uncertainty, interim measures and consistency.
Read the full answerRisk Assessment and Bowtie
Methods for understanding building safety risk and judging whether controls actually work.
What is a bowtie risk assessment?
Bowtie analysis is a visual risk assessment method that shows how an unwanted event could occur and how its consequences are prevented or mitigated.
Read the full answerHow can bowtie analysis be used for building safety?
Bowtie analysis helps building owners move from describing safety measures to understanding how those measures contribute to risk reduction.
Read the full answerHow do you assess whether a building safety control is effective?
Control effectiveness should consider whether the control is appropriate for the risk, correctly implemented and working as intended.
Read the full answerSafety Management and Performance
The organisational arrangements and measures that keep building safety risk under control.
What is a Safety Management System for a higher-risk building?
A Safety Management System provides the organisational arrangements used to manage building safety risks through the life of the building.
Read the full answerWhat are leading indicators in building safety?
Leading indicators are measures that provide warning that safety performance may be deteriorating before a serious incident occurs.
Read the full answerBuilding Safety Case Software
How specialist software supports safety case information and portfolio oversight.
What is building safety case software?
Building safety case software is specialist software used to structure, maintain and provide assurance over the information that supports a building safety case.
Read the full answerWhat are the benefits of using safety case software instead of Word?
Word works for producing a report, but it becomes harder to manage when the underlying safety case changes frequently or involves large amounts of evidence and multiple contributors.
Read the full answerCan building safety case software manage multiple higher-risk buildings?
Yes. Portfolio-level safety case software can provide oversight across multiple higher-risk buildings while retaining the detailed safety case for each individual building.
Read the full answerAI and Building Safety
Where AI genuinely helps building safety professionals — and where it should not decide.
Can AI write a building safety case?
AI can assist with preparing a building safety case, but it should not replace competent professional judgement or make building safety risk decisions on behalf of the Accountable Person.
Read the full answerHow can AI support building safety case preparation?
AI can reduce some of the administrative burden involved in reviewing large volumes of building information.
Read the full answerCascade
How Cascade supports live safety case management, including existing reports.
How does Cascade help manage a building safety case?
Cascade is a specialist building safety risk and safety case management platform that connects the information used to understand, demonstrate and manage building safety risk.
Read the full answerCan Cascade help if we already have a safety case report?
Yes. You do not need to start your safety case again simply because it was originally produced in Word or by an external consultant.
Read the full answerBuilding safety legislation, regulation and Building Safety Regulator guidance can change. This page is general information, not legal advice — always refer to current legislation and official guidance for your building.
Want your safety case to stay current between submissions?
Cascade connects building information, risk arguments, evidence, deficiencies and actions so you always know where your buildings stand.