Health and Safety Archives - Page 2 of 10

New Guidance Supports Contractors on Building Safety Compliance Ahead of CAS Deadline

by Oscar Venus | 23 May, 2025 | Health and Safety, Technical

We have been working with a panel of industry experts to address organisational competence amongst contractors. This group has been instrumental in helping us produce building safety policy guidance for those who are accredited on a pre-qualification (PQQ) scheme equivalent to the Build UK Common Assessment Standard (CAS). This guidance should be a timely and meaningful intervention with the June deadline rapidly approaching for the Building Safety section of the CAS becoming mandatory.

It is vital members get on top of this because, whilst companies can currently opt out of the new questions and maintain accreditation, we have been advised the additional questions related to work in scope of the Building Safety Act will become mandatory from as early as the 9th June 2025. Added to this, they provide a good framework for challenging your internal processes. FIS team ran through the questions with a group of members in early May and whilst most should be straightforward, we can provide additional advise based on this discussion and support. If you need any advice in the process, please call FIS on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org and we will direct you to the appropriate member of our team. If you have comments on the questions, FIS has been invited to join the drafting panel for future editions of the Common Assessment Standard, so please direct comments to jamesparlour@thefis.org.

As a final point FIS is always willing to follow-up requests for specific PQQ schemes as the Common Assessment Standard is designed to support interoperability and remove the need for duplication of accreditation efforts across multiple schemes (this is part of our Responsible No Campaign)

The draft policy document can be found here

FIS Supports Call for EU-UK Mutual Recognition Agreement on Conformity Assessment

by Oscar Venus | 9 May, 2025 | Health and Safety

FIS welcomes and supports the joint call by industry groups across the EU and UK for a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) on conformity assessment. The position paper, co-signed by Construction Products Europe and the Construction Products Association (CPA), outlines a clear and pragmatic case for reducing technical barriers to trade between the two regions.

The proposed MRA would allow products certified in either the UK or EU to be recognised in both markets, avoiding the need for costly and duplicative assessments. This is especially critical for manufacturers and suppliers in the finishes and interiors sector, many of whom are SMEs already facing increased regulatory and financial pressures.

Key benefits of the MRA include:

Lower compliance costs, supporting export growth
Improved market access and regulatory certainty
Greater capacity and competition among conformity assessment bodies

As discussions continue ahead of the EU-UK Summit on 19 May, FIS echoes the call for this agreement to be prioritised. It represents a practical step toward rebuilding frictionless trade and strengthening economic ties between the UK and EU construction sectors.

FIS will continue to work closely with CPA and other stakeholders to champion sensible solutions that benefit our members and the wider industry.

FIS Supports No Falls Week: Promoting Safe Working at Height

by Oscar Venus | 9 May, 2025 | Health and Safety

FIS is proud to support No Falls Week, taking place from 12–16 May 2025 — a vital campaign aimed at raising awareness of the risks associated with working at height and promoting best practices across the construction industry.

Launched in 2024, No Falls Week serves as a rallying call to reduce the number of preventable incidents caused by falls, which remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities in the UK. According to the latest data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 40 people lost their lives to falls from height in 2022–23, accounting for 30% of all workplace deaths.

Whether you’re a contractor, supplier, or site manager, No Falls Week provides an opportunity to reflect on current practices and ensure robust safety procedures are in place. The campaign aims to equip everyone working at height with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to make safer choices — because every worker deserves to return home safely at the end of the day.

How You Can Get Involved:

Raise Awareness: Share safety reminders and key messages with your teams throughout the week.
Review Procedures: Use this opportunity to revisit your working at height policies and risk assessments.
Host a Toolbox Talk: Organise a session to discuss best practices, common risks, and how to prevent falls.
Share Your Story: Highlight what your company is doing to improve height safety — tag FIS and use #NoFallsWeek to spread the message.

FIS will be supporting the campaign by sharing resources and encouraging members to actively engage with the initiative. Let’s work together to build a safer industry, one where no fall is inevitable.

For more information and resources, visit the No Falls Week website or contact the FIS team.

Health and Safety in the Finishes and Interiors Sector

It is a core objective of FIS to help reduce risk and create a healthier and safer construction environment for all.

See our health and safety hub

Raising awareness: IPAF’s annual safety campaign on MEWP overturns

by Oscar Venus | 28 Mar, 2025 | Health and Safety

In a safety-driven industry, the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) leads with its annual safety campaign, supported by Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) to address mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) overturn risks. These incidents, often due to poor ground conditions, pose serious threats to workers.

FIS’s health and safety working group is dedicated to reducing these risks through a comprehensive strategy.

The campaign offers resources to educate industry professionals on best practices and prevention, focusing on ground assessment and stability to minimise MEWP overturns. IPAF and FIS aim to raise awareness and provide tools for a safer work environment, ensuring safety is paramount.

Stay updated and involved with the campaign’s resources to collectively enhance industry safety standards.

H&S Working Group talks dust, manual handling, knives and pallet safety

by Oscar Venus | 14 Mar, 2025 | Health and Safety

The FIS Health and Safety Working Group met on 13^th March 2025, Chaired by David Cant of Veritas Consulting. The mission of this group is through guidance, collaborative working and influencing external stakeholders to make sure people working in our sector are kept healthy and safe.

Key points of discussion included reducing accidents with plaster boards and pallets, focusing on the need for a suitable pallet truck. New manual handling training being developed through FIS in partnership with Construction People targeting musculoskeletal disorders.

The group also discussed addressed challenges with face fit testing and PPE for bearded workers, the use of and control of RPE, dust awareness training, and the challenges of fixed and semi-fixed knives being used on site.

A number of task and finish groups were established to develop guidance and co-ordinate proposed activities

They concluded with a reminder about the upcoming asbestos webinar that FIS is running with UKATA.

Full minutes of the meeting are available here

Addressing Fire Safety: Insights from CROSS Reports on Cladding and Sprinkler Systems

by Oscar Venus | 12 Dec, 2024 | Health and Safety

FIS is aware of reports raised through CROSS (Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK) that highlight potential problems that members need to consider regarding passive fire protection implications around cladding and active fire protection implications of sprinklers being deactivated during the construction phase.
The reports can be viewed on the CROSS website using the links below:

Fire barrier requirements in external wall systems | CROSS
Fires involving thermally modified wood | CROSS
Automatic Opening Vents not functional after two cladding remediations | CROSS
Sprinkler system deactivated during construction works | CROSS

CROSS is a confidential reporting system which allows professionals working in the built environment to report on fire and structural safety issues. These are then published anonymously to share lessons learned, create positive change, and improve safety.