The British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) is allowing non-members to sign up to its Register of Qualified Steelwork Contractors (Building) for the first time.
BCSA said this will allow the whole constructional steelwork sector to prove competence and give clients an assured way of procuring a steelwork contractor that has the capabilities and experience to work under the new building safety regime.
This scheme has until now been open only to BCSA steelwork contractor members.
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However, BCSA’s council has agreed to open the scheme to all steelwork contractors by including the RQSC (Building) scheme in the next edition of the National Structural Steelwork Specification for Building Construction (NSSS).
The scheme includes specific requirements for steelwork contractors such as the skill, knowledge and experience of their staff and CE/UKCA marking.
BCSA said that together with the new section 10 of the NSSS on protective treatments (corrosion and fire) and the responsible painting coordinator training course, this initiative can improve the competency and capability of the entire constructional steelwork sector.
BCSA chief executive, Dr David Moore, said: “The steel construction sector is at the heart of this drive to make buildings safer, having played a full role in discussions on what a post-Grenfell tragedy building safety regime should look like.
“The introduction of new competence requirements for contractors places fresh onus on the industry’s clients to ask all suppliers to prove their competence and capability, and this will be the best way for steelwork contractors to respond to that.”
Changes to the NSSS will be implemented on 2 October 2023, the same date compliance with the Register of Qualified Steelwork Contractors (Buildings) will become a mandatory requirement.
