FIS has prepared a draft response to the HSE consultation on proposed changes to RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). 

This follows detailed discussion through our Health & Safety Working Group, with a focus on ensuring the proposals are clear, proportionate and practical for the finishes and interiors sector—particularly in relation to occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences and reporting requirements.

The consultation is driven by HSE’s aim to modernise RIDDOR so that reporting better reflects today’s working environment, improves data quality, and supports more targeted regulatory intervention. Key themes include expanding the scope of occupational diseases, clarifying definitions such as “work-related,” updating dangerous occurrences, and simplifying the reporting process. FIS’s draft response supports the overall direction of improving clarity and usability but emphasises the need for proportionate, practical requirements that work in a multi-contractor environment. In particular, our response highlights the importance of avoiding unintended increases in reporting burden, ensuring clear guidance to prevent inconsistent interpretation, and focusing on measures that genuinely improve safety outcomes rather than simply increasing reportable incidents.

We want your input before submission

Before we finalise our response, we are seeking member feedback to ensure it fully reflects real-world experience across the sector.

We are particularly interested in your views on:

• Whether the proposals will improve clarity or create ambiguity
• Potential unintended consequences (e.g. increased reporting burden)
• Practical challenges with current RIDDOR reporting
• Any issues we may have missed

Deadline: 5 June

Please send any comments or suggested additions to iainmcilwee@thefis.org by Wednesday 5 June.

Your feedback will help shape the final FIS submission and strengthen the sector’s voice with HSE.

FIS draft response available here….

For more information on the FIS H&S Working Group click here

FIS has refreshed its Specifiers’ Guide to Partitioning to reflect the most up-to-date advice and guidance, to support specification writers in fully understanding the key criteria involved when preparing partitioning specifications, including those for movable walls and pods.

The Specifiers’ Guide to Partitioning was first written in 2022 by the FIS Partitioning and Pods Working Group which comprises representation from manufacturers, designers and contractors working in the sector. Pulling together decades of experience, this guide is designed to help specifiers and designers understand the questions that should be addressed before the specification can be produced and then how the specification should be structured, and which standards referenced.

The 2026 update includes a significant expansion of guidance on pre-cycle agreements, reuse considerations, and end-of-service-life planning. It also reflects recent and forthcoming changes to fire resistance and reaction-to-fire classification systems, alongside updates to UK and EU conformity marking requirements. In addition, all references have been revised to align with current BS/EN standards and established industry best practice.

In addition to the written update, the guidance has been developed into a CPD e-learning course available via the FIS Academy. This digital format allows individuals to work through the content at their own pace in a structured, interactive way, reinforcing key principles and making complex technical requirements easier to understand.

Commenting on the guide, Chair of the FIS Partitions and Pods Working Group and FIS member Peter Long said:

“Partition systems of all types are always interfaced with adjacent construction products and many of these are critical interfaces, particularly in safety-critical applications like fire resistance and resistance to collapse under loading. This requires building design and the specification of construction products, like partitioning, to be considered holistically and not in isolation. This Specifiers’ Guide aims to support specifiers in this holistic approach.”

The guide explains the vast range of product options and how careful specification can help with relocatability in the building as well as enjoying enhanced tax benefits. The guide also has reference material to regulations for safety, fire performance and standards.

This Specifiers Guide sits alongside other FIS guidance that relates to partitioning:

Best practice guide for installing Partitioning

FIS Acoustic Verification Scheme

Servicing Operable Walls

These guides work well when they are included in proposals and project plans to demonstrate how to best approach a project. They are also good differentiators when someone is in competition with non-members, and are an excellent introduction to new members of the team and any trainees and apprentices.

You can download the Specifiers’ Guide to Partitioning from the Publications Library on the FIS website here.

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The Industry Task and Finish Group (ITFG) has today published its guidance on Managing Competence in the Built Environment: An industry guide on how to meet the ICC principles, providing practical, proportionate and risk-based support for organisations operating across the built environment.

The ITFG is an industry‑led, time‑limited group formed in June 2025 in response to the new Building Safety Regime’s requirement to manage competence in organisations. It brings together more than 50 professional bodies, industry organisations, regulators and assurance bodies, with the shared aim of translating high‑level principles for managing competence in the built environment into a practical day‑to‑day application that is recognised across the sector and helps drive up competence and building safety outcomes.

The guidance sets out what effective organisational competence management looks like in practice for organisations of all sizes and risk profiles, SMEs, micro-businesses and large organisations alike, enabling them to demonstrate that people working for them, or on their behalf, are competent for the work they undertake.

Its flexible and proportionate approach means that the guidance can be used alongside existing management systems, or as a foundation where no formal approach is yet in place. Although prompted to meet competence management requirements set by building safety reforms, it can be used more widely across the built environment.

The guidance has been developed alongside, and is fully aligned with, the Industry Competence Committee (ICC) publication Setting Expectations on Competence Management. Used together, the ICC advice sets out what good looks like at a high level, while the ITFG guidance explains how organisations can put those principles into practice.

The guidance looks at the role of organisational leadership and governance, while emphasising that actively managing competence is not simply about qualifications or training records; it is about ensuring that organisations have enough people with the right skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours for their role.

Using the principles set out in the ICC document, the ITFG guidance sets out the key elements organisations, SME’s and large organisations alike, should think about when putting effective competence management in place, defining what competence is needed for different roles and activities, assessing and verifying competence, and making sure competence is monitored and maintained over time.

Sofie Hooper, Chair of the ITFG comments:

“With competence being a critical determinant of health and safety, building safety and quality outcomes, the management of competence by organisations is not only a requirement for building safety, but it actively underpins the safety, performance and reliability of structures through the built environment.

“This important document will provide much needed guidance across the sector on how to manage competence well and it could not have been done without the cross sector support and the dedication of the experts in the Steering Group. We would also like to thank the ICC for the collaboration so that we could align our guidance- making a difference together.”

The guidance will next play a key role in shaping the development of a future British Standard on managing competence in organisations.

Available from supporting organisations’ websites, the ITFG and ICC documents are both also available from the BSI Competence hub, where organisations using the guidance can share their feedback and practical experience of the guidance. The ITFG will next be developing case studies and encourages organisations wanting to contribute to get in touch with Sofie.Hooper@aps.org.uk.

Mental Health Awareness Week provides an important opportunity to reflect on the pressures faced across the construction industry and the role we all play in supporting one another.

In construction, poor mental health remains one of the biggest risks to our workforce. Long hours, financial pressure, demanding programmes, uncertainty, travel, isolation and the wider pressures of everyday life can all take their toll. Whilst our industry is built on resilience and problem-solving, it is important to recognise that continually “just getting on with it” is not always the answer.

At FIS, we believe that creating a healthier industry starts with openness, awareness and practical support. Mental wellbeing is not separate from the conversations around quality, competence, leadership and culture, it sits at the heart of them.

This week, we encourage everyone across the finishes and interiors sector to take small but meaningful steps:

• Check in with colleagues, friends and family
• Make time to talk and listen
• Be aware of changes in behaviour or signs that someone may be struggling
• Take steps to manage your own wellbeing, both physically and mentally
• Remember that asking for support is a strength, not a weakness

We also recognise the importance of addressing some of the wider industry behaviours that contribute to poor mental health, including unreasonable pressure, poor payment practices, uncertainty and conflict within projects. Improving culture across the sector remains a key priority for FIS.

No one should feel they have to face challenges alone.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. The construction community has made huge progress in opening conversations around mental health, but there is still more we can all do together.

FIS remains committed to supporting a safer, healthier and more sustainable industry, not just physically, but mentally too.

Deaf Awareness Week (4–10 May 2026) is a timely reminder that hearing loss is one of the most common and most overlooked occupational health risks in construction. Around three in four construction workers are exposed to daily noise levels above 85 dB, yet protective measures often clash with other PPE such as hard hats, leaving workers vulnerable.

 The Hidden Health Impact

Hearing damage can be temporary or permanent, but even temporary deafness after leaving a noisy environment is a warning sign. Repeated exposure gradually erodes hearing, often going unnoticed until age‑related loss compounds the damage.

Sudden, extremely loud noises – such as cartridge‑operated tools – can cause instant and irreversible harm. And hearing loss is only part of the story. Many workers develop tinnitus (ringing, buzzing or humming in the ears), a condition that can disrupt sleep and significantly affect quality of life.

 The Psychological Toll

The impact of hearing loss and tinnitus can run much deeper – they affect people’s mental health.  Workers with untreated hearing issues often withdraw from conversations, avoid group settings and experience increased anxiety, frustration and depression. Communication becomes harder, confidence drops and social isolation grows. Left unaddressed, this becomes a cycle that harms both wellbeing and workplace culture.

Why Workers Don’t Speak Up

According to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), around 10 million adults could benefit from hearing aids, yet only 3 million use them. Many delay seeking help because they don’t want to appear “difficult”, “old” or “in the way”. In construction’s fast‑paced environment, this silence can be dangerous.

 Your Legal Responsibilities

Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, employers must assess and control noise risks.

Key thresholds:

• 80 dB – assess risks, provide information and training
• 85 dB – provide hearing protection and designate hearing protection zones
• 87 dB – absolute exposure limit (after accounting for PPE)

 Employers must:

• Identify and reduce noise risks
• Provide suitable hearing protection where required
• Ensure PPE is used correctly
• Offer information, training and health surveillance
• Review controls whenever work or equipment changes

 Noise control doesn’t always require major investment – but it does require consistent attention.

Call to Action

1. Check Your Kit

FIS is supporting the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) campaign “Listen Today, Hear Tomorrow.” Key principles:

• Hearing protection is a last resort, but essential until noise risks are controlled
• Choose the right level of protection – more is not always better
• Ensure compatibility with other PPE and comfort for the user
• Stress the importance of wearing protection continuously in noisy areas
• Removing protection for just 5 minutes in an hour halves its effectiveness

 For guidance on selecting the right PPE for hearing safety, click here.

2. Get Your Hearing Checked – and Encourage Your Team

RNID offers free, accessible hearing checks. A hearing test takes just three minutes using the RNID online tool – a simple step that could prevent long‑term harm.

3. Further Reading 

This excellent resource gives employers a deeper understanding of occupational deafness and managing worker safety

[1] Construction Site Hearing Issues: How Noise Damages Workers’ Health & Prevention Tips – UK Construction Blog

FIS is proud to announce the launch of its new Drylining Design Engineer Competency Framework, a significant step forward in defining professional standards, improving quality, and supporting career development across the interiors sector.

Developed in collaboration with industry experts, contractors, manufacturers, and training providers, the framework establishes a clear benchmark for the knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours required of drylining design engineers.

As construction projects grow increasingly complex, the need for qualified and competent design professionals has never been greater. This new framework aligns with broader industry initiatives around competency, including post-Grenfell regulatory reforms, and reinforces the importance of robust design processes in ensuring building safety.

The framework outlines core competencies across several key areas, including:

• Technical design knowledge and system understanding
• Regulatory compliance and building safety
• Risk management and problem-solving
• Communication and collaboration across project teams

Commenting on the launch, FIS Technical Director James Parlour said:

“Competency frameworks are required urgently across the industry, and we are grateful to our members for helping to identify and fulfil this critical gap where competency in delivering what seems to be a relatively narrow function is holding up the design of the entire interior system due to its wide ranging interfaces with other packages. It is also a prominent area of risk where contractors design portion is often defined and constrained poorly, and competent design management is key to mitigating this risk for the supply chain.”

The development of this competency framework reflects FIS’s ongoing commitment to raising standards and driving continuous improvement across the sector. It adds to a growing suite of installer competency frameworks that are already available from FIS, including:

• Ceilings

• Drylining

• Fibrous Plastering

• Moveable Walls

• Solid Plastering

• Raised Access Flooring

• SFS (Steel Framed Systems)

The Competency Framework is available to download from the FIS website at https://www.thefis.org/membership-hub/publications/competency-frameworks/drylining-design-engineer-competency/

To underpin the Competence Frameworks, CITB, in partnership with Build UK and fire industry experts, have developed a free Fire Safety in Buildings e-learning course to improve an individual’s knowledge of fire safety measures in buildings. The course is suitable for anyone working in the design, construction, or maintenance of buildings, with a specific focus on installers and can be accessed here https://www.thefis.org/skills-hub/training-offers-for-members/fis-training-modules/fire-safety-in-buildings/