Revamped code shaped by recent ethical concerns in the industry.
The Chartered Institute of Building has relaunched its code of conduct. Past president Paul Nash (above) has led a review of the code, which has been shaped by members’ feedback and concerns about ethical issues that have recently surfaced in the industry.
“At the moment, construction is under a great deal of scrutiny over the ethics of its operations,” said Nash. “That scrutiny includes the quality of the new-build homes we deliver, how we refurbish social housing, and our attitudes to worker welfare in the supply chain. There are also concerns about the impact of late payment, which have been highlighted by the Carillion collapse.
“Now, the vast majority of the industry’s professionals undoubtedly work to high ethical standards, but a few recent events suggest there may be some areas of concern.”
Nash, a former Turner & Townsend director who now runs his own consultancy, set up a working group to rewrite the code when he became CIOB president in 2016.
“I wanted it to be easy to read and understand, and be relevant to our members, the industry and the wider public interest,” he said. “We were overwhelmed by the response from our member consultation, which highlighted how important our members thought this issue was.”
FCIOB membership
The CIOB relaunched its process for achieving FCIOB status last year and will shortly be hosting a series of workshop on how to become a fellow.
The entry criteria and process involves demonstrating significant strategic responsibilities for people and organisations, and contributions to the wider industry or general public.
For further information visit: www.ciob.org/fellowship-fciob
He continued: “CIOB members have a key role to play in creating a modern, progressive construction industry and setting standards by behaving in a way that is both ethical and sustainable. This is what it means to be a professional.”
In 2015 the CIOB published a report entitled Understanding the value of professionals and professional bodies, based on a survey of MPs and members of the public, which highlighted the role that professional bodies play in engendering trust.
“People value professionals because they can rely on that person to have a certain level of knowledge and experience and to behave ethically,” Nash said. “Fundamentally ethics is about doing what is right and by definition that means making choices that will benefit the many and not the few.”
Last year the CIOB Academy launched an online course on Construction Ethics & Compliance. So far it has attracted more than 5,000 people from over 100 countries.
“The success of the online course demonstrates that this is an issue which matters to many people working in our industry today, people who are concerned about the reputation of our industry and want to work to improve it both by their actions and in the quality of the buildings and infrastructure that they help to create,” said Nash.
The CIOB is also at the forefront of raising awareness of issues such as modern slavery, mental health and quality.
