Building Safety Act
– the biggest change seen in decades
As featured in Construction Management Magazine, Paul Gandy, who is Chief Executive Officer at Tilbury Douglas, Vice President of the CIOB and serving on the Board of Build UK as a Contractor Director, shares his thoughts on why the industry must invest the time and resources now to prepare for the Building Safety Act requirements.
As someone who has spent over 40 years within our construction industry, I feel confident in saying that the Building Safety Act (BSA) is one of the biggest changes the industry has seen for a generation. It is the foundation of a new building safety regime for the construction sector, and we should all have no doubt it will impact everyone – contractors, designers, customers, building operators and building control – and all of us need to face into the challenge positively.
Therefore, now is the time to really start to invest in being prepared to meet the requirements, this will ensure we can all drive through the changes needed to prove competency and demonstrate accountability as outlined in the BSA.
Pioneering qualification
With the BSA in place and as the year progresses, the ability to demonstrate an individual’s competency to carry out a role and the obligations for us to be able to prove that we have checked this competency, will be coming to the fore. In particular this comes into focus for many of us when we consider the Duty Holder role of Principal Contractor and this is why, as we continue to focus on preparing ourselves to meet the BSA’s requirements, we were proud to have two of our project managers, Dan Harmer and Stuart Palmer, nominated to participate in the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) inaugural Principal Contractor Competency Certification Scheme (PCCCS).
This groundbreaking scheme, aligned with the BSA requirements, aims to certify competence within the construction industry. The pilot phase of the scheme, which involved a rigorous selection process, included 10 construction professionals from diverse backgrounds, with Tilbury Douglas as one of the first Tier one contractors to be participating.
Both Dan and Stuart were honoured to be among the first recipients of the accreditation, which validates their competence, as they realise that under the requirements of the BSA, and to improve overall standards in the industry, providing evidence of competence is key.
It is a step forward for the industry to now have a certification scheme in place which will help people needing to fulfil the principal contractor role demonstrate competency. The pilot scheme will lead the way on a path that many others will follow, as the entire industry adapts to the new BSA requirements.
Looking ahead
The changes currently taking place in the world of construction: the BSA, competency, building control, high risk buildings regime, digital golden thread, and product and material compliance, to name but a few, cannot be overstated.
As the industry evolves, it is anticipated that more professionals will seek certification, and clients will increasingly prioritise contractors with certified competent teams. Tilbury Douglas is proud to have taken this proactive step to ensure its teams possess the necessary qualifications and will continue to look for ways to help lead the charge in preparation for the changes to come!