Introduction
If you're a Principal Accountable Person (PAP) for a taller residential building in England, you know the Building Safety Act (BSA) has piled on the pressure. Suddenly, you need to manage mountains of safety information – everything for your Safety Case Report (SCR) and that "Golden Thread" of building data the regulator (BSR) expects.
Many PAPs naturally reach for spreadsheets. They're familiar, right? We use them for everything. But here's the tough truth: when it comes to the serious demands of the BSA, relying only on spreadsheets is becoming seriously risky.
Let's break down why your trusty spreadsheets might actually be putting your compliance – and maybe even you – at risk under these new rules.
The BSA Needs More Than Simple Lists
Spreadsheets are great for basic lists and sums. But the BSA isn't asking for simple lists. It demands detailed, connected, and easily provable safety information.
The BSR wants to see your SCR backed up by solid evidence. They want a clear "Golden Thread" showing your building's safety story over time. Spreadsheets just weren't built for that level of complex, linked-up information management. Trying to force them to do this job creates big problems...
Risk #1: Can't Find Info When the Clock's Ticking
Imagine the BSR gives you that 28-day notice for your SCR. Now you need to find specific proof – maybe an inspection report from last year or details on a repair done three years ago.
The Spreadsheet Problem:
Is that info buried in Building_Safety_Data_v2_FINAL.xlsx? Or maybe Safety_Checks_John_Smith_Copy.xlsx? Searching through endless tabs, folders, and confusing file names wastes precious days you don't have.
The BSA Risk:
You can't afford delays. Failing to produce the right evidence quickly because it's lost in spreadsheet chaos looks bad and risks non-compliance.
Risk #2: Which Version is Right? The Chaos of Copies
We've all seen it: Report_v1, Report_v2_Final, Report_v2_Final_FINAL. When multiple people update different copies of a safety spreadsheet, chaos follows.
The Spreadsheet Problem:
It's incredibly hard to know which version has the latest, correct information. Different teams might have different copies with different data.
The BSA Risk:
Submitting outdated or inconsistent information to the BSR because you grabbed the wrong spreadsheet version is a major compliance failure waiting to happen.
Risk #3: Tiny Typos, Huge Headaches
Humans make mistakes. It's easy to mistype a date, copy-paste the wrong number, or accidentally delete a row in a complex spreadsheet.
The Spreadsheet Problem:
Spreadsheets don't easily catch these small manual errors. There are often no built-in checks for safety data accuracy.
The BSA Risk:
Under the BSR's scrutiny, even small data errors in your safety records could be flagged as non-compliance, leading to difficult questions and potential penalties.
Risk #4: "Who Changed That?" - The Missing Audit Trail
Imagine the BSR questions a specific piece of data in your SCR. They ask why it changed or who updated it last.
The Spreadsheet Problem:
Spreadsheets don't automatically keep a clear history (an "audit trail") of who changed what and when. It's almost impossible to reliably track changes over time.
The BSA Risk:
Without a clear audit trail, you can't easily prove your data's history or justify changes to the regulator, making you look disorganized and potentially non-compliant.
New Rules Need Better Tools
The Building Safety Act isn't just another regulation; it's a fundamental shift demanding higher standards for how building safety information is managed and proven.
While spreadsheets have their place, relying on them alone for critical BSA compliance tasks like managing your Golden Thread and SCR evidence is like using a bicycle for a motorway journey – it's slow, inefficient, and dangerously risky.
If the warning signs above sound familiar, it's a clear signal that the old way of doing things isn't good enough anymore. Staying compliant under the BSA means finding tools truly built for the job.