Horizon scan — 2026-08

First entry in this log. It covers two things that happened on the same day: the independent citation QA that prompted scripts/check_citations.py to be written, and the first full scan run against every source on the watch list.

Scanned by: the author (director) · Date: 2026-08-10 Register at scan: KD-REG-01 Rev R01.3 · 44 instruments Legislation cutoff moved: 2026-08-07 → 2026-08-10 (changes were found and applied, so the position the documents are prepared against moves with them)

A note on honesty before the table. An earlier draft of this entry marked several rows "checked" that had not in fact been checked — it was written from the QA work rather than from a scan. Every row below was retrieved on 10 August 2026 and is recorded with what was actually seen. Where a source refused access, it says so.

What was checked

Changes found, and what was done about them

1. BS 7671 — Amendment 4 published. The current designation is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, published 15 April 2026. The previous amendment (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022+A3:2024) is withdrawn six months from publication, on or about 15 October 2026. Our electrical documents cited "BS 7671" undated, which would have read as correct indefinitely. Now cited in full, with a note on the document telling the user to confirm which amendment their design was issued against — because during the overlap that is a real question on site, not a formality. (Withdrawal date is from the IET announcement and has not been separately confirmed.)

2. BS 5839-1 — new edition. BS 5839-1:2025, published 30 April 2025, supersedes BS 5839-1:2017. BSI brought the revision forward following fatal fire incidents. We cited it undated; now dated. Affects the fire alarm cabling RAMS.

3. BS EN 61439-4 — dated, and flagged. Confirmed as BS EN 61439-4:2013, status "Current, Under Review". A BSI revision project for this part is registered, and the sibling parts -3 and -5 have already been reissued under IEC alignment, so a redesignation to BS EN IEC 61439-4 is likely. No stage or target date was retrievable. Cited with its date; on the watch list.

4. Building Regulations 2010 — an amendment is made but not in force. The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/335) implement the Future Homes and Buildings Standards. General commencement 24 March 2027; 24 September 2027 for higher-risk building work. Whether reg 7 — which now carries our fire-stopping basis — is among the amended provisions could not be confirmed from the primary source. Recorded on the register as a watch item with those dates.

5. Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures Regulations 2023 — amended. The page is current to 15 May 2026 and carries textual amendments at regs 27(13A) and 28(6A), concerning compliance notices under s.35B(7)(a) of the Building Act 1984. The amending instrument was not identified. Our documents cite regs 18–26, which are not the amended provisions, so nothing changes today — but the instrument is no longer static and must be traced at the technical review.

6. Building Safety Act 2022 — staged commencement still running. Up to date with changes in force on or before 9 March 2026, with provisions that may be brought into force later. A standing watch item, not settled law.

7. F-gas — the open question is closed. legislation.gov.uk confirms the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2015 have no outstanding effects and still reference Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 throughout, with no reference to Regulation (EU) 2024/573. GB has not followed the EU replacement; the assimilated 517/2014 remains the operative framework. Watch: Defra consulted on reforming the GB HFC phasedown (opened 5 Nov 2025, closed 17 Dec 2025); the response and any amending SI are outstanding.

8. HSE consultation — Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Opened 10 Nov 2025, closed 9 Jan 2026, outcome not yet published. Proposes independent analysts for post-removal clearance certification, improved survey-quality guidance, and clarified Notifiable Non-Licensed Work classification. If it proceeds it touches every document that references CAR 2012.

9. HSE consultation — RIDDOR. Opened 7 April 2026, closes 30 June 2026. Proposes an updated list of dangerous occurrences and reportable diseases, and a simplified reporting form. RIDDOR is not currently on our register; if the proposals proceed, the reporting references in the system documents need review.

10. Building Safety Regulator consultation — review of Approved Document B. Opened 25 March 2026, closes 1 July 2026. Covers external wall systems and balconies, the scope of the combustible-materials ban, roofs and PV, car park fire resistance, and evacuation lifts above 18m. This one bears directly on the fire protection and cladding RAMS. England only.

Citations tightened even though nothing had changed

Five guidance references were being cited without the edition that makes them checkable. All confirmed against the HSE publication page and now dated: HSG85 (3rd edition, 2013), HSG141 (2nd edition, 2023), GS6 (4th edition, 2013), GS38 (4th edition, 2015), ACOP L132 (3rd edition, 2002).

Early warnings — no change yet, watch these

• BS 7121-1:2016 — BSI status "Current, Under Review". Cranes and lift classification depend on it.
• BS EN 61439-4:2013 — as item 3.
• NASC TG30 — content added May 2026 (new birdcage configurations) with no visible version bump. Confirm with NASC before the next document revision that "TG30:24" is still the right designation.

The access gap

legislation.gov.uk refused automated retrieval for seven instruments across two separate passes, roughly a dozen attempts: HSWA 1974, MHSWR 1999, DSEAR 2002, EAWR 1989, Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, the Higher-Risk Buildings (Keeping and Provision of Information etc.) Regulations 2024, and the Building Regulations 2010 changes banner. Nothing suggests any of them has changed — but nothing confirms it either, and they are recorded as unchecked rather than clear. These need doing manually in a browser. The Gas Safety Regulations have now failed retrieval twice and are the oldest open item on the register.

Standing gaps carried forward

• No paid update service and no automated feed subscription.
• 13 register instruments are cited but not yet read against a primary source. That list prints at the end of every self-test run and is the reviewer's work list. Three are worse than unread: Gas Safety 1998 (not retrievable), BS EN 61439-4 (paywalled) and the several BSI standards whose text is paywalled and known only from their product records.
• Register-to-SKU traceability is still SEE-CATALOGUE on most of the newer instruments; completed properly at technical review.

Next scan due: 2026-09. Two dated items to carry into it: the Approved Document B consultation closes 1 July 2026 (outcome expected), and BS 7671 Amendment 3 is withdrawn around 15 October 2026.