What are the legal requirements to consider when choosing a steel structure?

Planning to get a steel structure to jazz up your home or office space? It is essential you understand the key legal requirements you need to take into account before constructing a steel structure. This is to ensure full safety of those involved during the installation process as well as protect the natural environment, including wildlife habitats, and to preserve important buildings and landscapes. In the UK, there are several legal requirements to consider when choosing a steel structure. Some of the key requirements include:

1. Planning permission: Most types of development, including new buildings, extensions, changes of use, and some types of demolition, require planning permission. Whether or not you require one is entirely dependent on the circumstances. The procedure entails submitting an application to the local planning authority, who will evaluate the proposal in light of national and local planning policies as well as any community feedback. The goal of obtaining planning permission is to protect the natural environment while also ensuring that the structure is appropriate and suitable.

2. The Health and Safety at Work Act: The Health and Safety at Work Act establishes employers', employees', and others' legal obligations to ensure the well-being of those who are affected by their work. During the installation of a steel structure, ensure that the equipment used is secure and reliable. To ensure maximum protection for those who may be affected, the fabricators working on the project must also be experienced and have a high level of training. Ensure that the fabricators you choose conduct thorough risk assessments to identify and address risks to ensure safety at all times.

3. UKCA: UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) is a UK product marking that applies to certain products including structures manufactured with Steel. It is a legal requirement which came into effect on 1st January 2021 and is used to demonstrate that the structure meet the relevant UK product safety and technical standards. When working with a steel fabricator it is essential to make sure their products have a UKCA marking as it is a clear indicator that it complies with the relevant product safety and technical standards.

4. Environmental regulations: Steel structures must adhere to a variety of environmental regulations, including those affecting waste disposal, pollution control, and environmental protection. The goal of these environmental regulations is to protect the environment and reduce the potential for pollution or environmental harm. The Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 require, for example, that certain activities, such as steel fabrication, obtain an environmental permit in order to operate.

Why choose us?

As experts of steel structures, we’ve worked hard to ensure that the products we design, create, and install are fully compliant with the legal requirements. With a number of accreditations under our built and over decades of experience both individually and combined, our hand-crafted fabrications are unlike any other. We work hard to make your vision a reality by maintaining clear and open communication throughout the process to keep you informed at all times.