by Clair Mooney | May 11, 2023 | Main News Feed
The Government has announced this week that the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill will be amended. Instead of including a ‘sunset’ date of 31 December 2023, by which all remaining retained EU law (close to 4,000 still in effect in the UK) will either be repealed or assimilated into domestic law, the Bill will now be updated with a specific list of regulations which will be removed by this date. Further EU regulations will be repealed or amended after this date following proper assessment and consultation.
Commenting on this announcement FIS CEO responded:
“I know many are keen to see an end to the influence of EU Law in UK Statute, but this is very much a common-sense approach. Whilst it may feel glacial, the complex and interconnected legislative framework has built up over nearly five decades and it will take more than a red pen to ensure that the changes needed are focussed and interrogated properly. In construction we are already wrestling with the implementation of the Building Safety Act and the raft of secondary regulation that follows, there is only so much we can manage at any one time and we need a focussed and resourced civil service supporting our efforts, not a mad rush to appease a political agenda.”
FIS work with the CLC Regulatory Reform Working Group to help co-ordinate any necessary amends to, particularly working time health and safety legislation (e.g. the Working Time Directive, Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations, Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM), and Work at Height Regulations).
UPDATE 16th MAY 2023 –
A REUL explainer has been published and is available on GOV.UK. It shows the Schedule of REUL to be revoked at sunset.
by Clair Mooney | Apr 26, 2023 | Main News Feed
CITB is seeking views from the industry to help shape its future priorities and the support provided. This is your opportunity to voice what matters to you and the support you need. Submit your response by 18 May via the link below.
https://www.citb.co.uk/about-citb/what-we-do/plans-and-performance/strategic-plan/
by Clair Mooney | Apr 20, 2023 | Main News Feed, Sustainability
In March 2023, RICS consultated on the revision of the RICS professional statement on whole life carbon. The deadline for the submission of comments was 18 April and FIS provided some feedback on the document on behalf of its members. The feedback was mainly focused around the need to provide further clarifications on technical aspects of the document, but also included a slight revision to the definition of fit-out projects. The feedback also included the request to amend the study period for a fit-out project and to clearly define the scope of the project as fit out projects – in line with the document that FIS published for its members in 2022 – here: https://www.thefis.org/knowledge-hub/sustainablility/sustainability-related-to-your-activities/net-zero/
The aim of the document is to provide a methodology to calculate the whole life carbon impact of buildings, projects and infrastructure. It is part of a wide range of industry initiatives around the need to measure the carbon emissions associated with not just the operation of buildings, but also the impact of their construction – related to the manufacturing, transport, installation and end of life of products.
The revised document includes more specific information related to a fit-out project, which makes it more relevant to FIS members.
by Oscar Venus | Apr 13, 2023 | Main News Feed
During last month’s Building Safety Regulator Conference a number of queries were raised which are summarised below.
- Confirmation that hospitals and care homes are not required to be registered with the Building Safety Regulator before occupation unless they contain at least two permanent residential units
- The developer remediation contract has now been signed by the majority of developers and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) will be implementing a Responsible Actors Scheme
- Links to the enhanced Manual to the Building Regulations and online PDF of Approved Documents in the Approved Document B section.Build UK continues to update its Comprehensive Guide and these queries were added to the April 2023 version, published today.
by Oscar Venus | Apr 13, 2023 | Main News Feed, Market data
BSI have published their 2023 version of the Little book of BIM.
This is a quick reference guide for the standards, definitions and terms commonly used in describing BIM and its related processes, as well as training and qualification pathways for all levels. The guide can be used by organisations across the supply chain.
You can download a copy here.
by Oscar Venus | Apr 13, 2023 | Main News Feed, Membership
To improve access to new technology and promote the impact that improved motivation and productivity can have in the drylining industry, FIS and Mafic are offering five FIS members the chance to trial Mafic’s FAIRPAY rewards platform.
The platform has been developed to help organisations increase productivity and reduce costs by 10-20% by improving the motivation of their workforce.
This inclusive offer worth £3,500 includes:
– 12 people
– 12 weeks
– Free setup
– Subscription costs discounted by 75% to £450+VAT
FIS members taking part will still need to fund the bonuses and incentives that go directly to employees. These incentives drive savings that are multiples of the cost – you reduce cost by paying your best people more money – and Mafic will help to structure this in a way that minimises risk by basing the incentives around improvement.
Based on results elsewhere, it is estimated that you could save £10,000-£20,000 on labour costs from the demonstration, plus other benefits like improved retention rates. You can see how FIS member Errigal Contracts has benefited from using FAIRPAY here on page 7.
Iain Mcilwee, FIS CEO said: We are supporting this offer with Mafic in return for anonymised data which will be shared with FIS (i.e. no names, sites, dates, or geographic data) to help us better understand productivity in the industry, so that we can better serve and support our members. Mafic has just five discounted projects available, so please express an interest early to avoid disappointment.’
For more information contact Ed Burns at ed.burns@mafic.ltd or call him on 07967 968 346.
