CIOB to maintain its focus on quality as industry faces ‘crucial change’ with the planned implementation of the Building Safety Act next year.
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is preparing to update its Construction Quality Code and Guide to reflect legislative changes brought about by the upcoming Building Safety Act, following their successful launches prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The CIOB’s Quality Implementation Group (QIG), launched in 2019 to oversee work to establish a culture of quality in construction, published its Code of Quality Management in September that year based on detailed research and industrywide consultation. That was followed in January 2021 by a new Guide to Quality Management, focusing on site production and assembly and aimed at site operatives.
The guide has since been downloaded by more than 360 companies and individuals, 351 of which are members of the CIOB, according to a review of 2020-21 by the QIG. It has also been sent to senior-level figures in the sector, with many circulating the document in supply chains. The CIOB said several universities have asked to include the document in their digital libraries.
‘CIOB will continue to support our members, wherever they work in the world, to ensure that the buildings we create, adapt and maintain are fit and safe for those who use them.’
The Building Safety Bill was introduced to the House of Commons in July and underwent its second reading that month. It is at the committee stage in the House of Commons and is expected to reach Royal Assent nine-to-12 months after its introduction.
The QIG’s review said it expected the need for further engagement with industry and government once the bill has been implemented, as the industry faces “crucial change” over the next few years as a result of its introduction. It added that there would be a particular focus on the building safety and quality agenda as well as the role of professions to ensure that competency is addressed.
Meanwhile, the QIG will work with the CIOB’s clients’ working group to continue to promote building quality and safety, with new CIOB president Mike Foy having identified working with clients as one of his presidential aims.
Paul Nash, past president of the CIOB and chair of the QIG, said: “I am proud of the work that CIOB is doing, and continues to do, to raise standards of quality and building safety in the industry, work that is central to our Royal Charter commitment to our members, to industry and to society.
“This is a global issue, and CIOB will continue to support our members, wherever they work in the world, to ensure that the buildings we create, adapt and maintain are fit and safe for those who use them.”
The QIG’s review of 2020-21 can be downloaded from: www.ciob.org/media/1021/download.
Training for the Building Safety Act
The CIOB has continued to develop new training to meet the requirements of the forthcoming Building Safety Act.
It has already launched a one-day ‘Site Management – Quality Fundamentals’ training course, developed by the CIOB Academy in collaboration with Martin McCabe, as well as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Quality Management which went live in October 2019 and has attracted almost 3,000 participants.
In February 2021, the CIOB launched a Level 6 Certificate in Fire Safety in Construction and a Level 6 Diploma in Building Safety Management, recognising the need for training for those undertaking the new dutyholder roles under the forthcoming act.
The institute said that it planned to develop further training courses for the other dutyholder roles under the Building Safety Act, such as the principal designer and principal contractor roles.
The training will be aligned with the work that is being undertaken by the BSI Built Environment Competence Standards (BECS) strategy group to develop Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) for these roles.
