In 2025, the BSR issued BAC directions to over 1,400 Principal Accountable Persons. Of those applications, 27% failed at Gateway 2 — more than 1 in 4 organisations could not demonstrate their buildings were being managed safely.
The most common failure reason. The BSR expects evidence across all 14 Golden Thread categories. Many organisations do not know what they are missing until they start assembling the submission — by then they have 28 days which is not enough time to commission missing surveys.
A Safety Case must demonstrate that risks have been identified, assessed, and controlled. Many reports list risks without evidencing control measures. A quality Safety Case from a fire safety engineer costs £2,000 to £8,000 per building — up to £160,000 per year for a 20-building portfolio.
The BSR issues BAC directions with a 28-day window. For organisations not maintaining their Golden Thread continuously, 28 days is not enough to locate documents, commission missing surveys, produce a Safety Case, and assemble a complete package.
- Start now, not when you receive a direction — treat compliance as a continuous process
- Conduct a gap analysis against all 14 document categories immediately
- Commission missing assessments early — lead times can be 4 to 8 weeks
- Maintain expiry tracking — set reminders at 90, 60, and 30 days before expiry
- Produce your Safety Case before you need it — review annually and update when the building changes
MachSafe addresses all three failure modes — continuous Golden Thread management, risk-weighted gap identification, BAC countdown tracker, and AI-assisted Safety Case drafting.