by Clair Mooney | 21 Apr, 2021 | Main News Feed
Residents across England will be better protected as the government takes the next step to ensure materials used to build the nation’s homes are safe and tested properly.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has today (20 April 2021) appointed two experts to lead an independent review of the system for testing construction products. Former government adviser and construction expert Paul Morrell OBE will be the chair of the independent panel, along with legal expert Anneliese Day QC.
The review, announced earlier this year, will examine how to strengthen the current system for testing construction products to provide confidence that these materials are safe and perform as marketed.
The review forms part of the government’s ongoing programme of work to reform and strengthen building safety regulation and comes after testimony to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry exposed evidence of testing irregularities and potential gaming of the system by some manufacturers.
Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry has heard deeply concerning suggestions that some construction product manufacturers may have gamed the system for testing these materials and compromised the safety of residents.
We are taking these allegations very seriously and will await the Inquiry’s final recommendations – but it is clear that action is needed now to ensure products used on buildings always meet the highest safety standards.
I am pleased to appoint Paul Morrell OBE and Anneliese Day QC to lead this independent review of the system for testing construction products that will build on the significant progress we have already made to make buildings safer.
The panel will engage with a wide range of stakeholders to seek their views on how the system of safety testing of construction products could be improved and will report later this year with recommendations.
The government has already announced that a new National Regulator for Construction Products will be established within the Office of Product Safety and Standards and be given powers to remove any product from the market that presents a significant safety risk; and prosecute and fine any company that breaks the rules.
These measures form part of the government’s wider, ambitious reform of the sector, which includes the draft Building Safety Bill, that will bring the biggest improvements to building safety standards in 40 years and strengthen the regulation of construction products.
by Clair Mooney | 21 Apr, 2021 | Main News Feed, Transformation
The role of the Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG) is to report on the progress of the construction industry in delivering culture change to support greater building safety; and to challenge and hold industry to account on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Andy Mitchell (Co-Chair of the CLC), Graham Watts and Peter Caplehorn (Co-chairs of the CLC Building Safety workstream) attended an ISSG meeting in late 2020 to report on progress of developing the CLC Building Safety workstream. Following on from this meeting, correspondence has been exchanged between Dame Judith Hackitt and Andy Mitchell.
The letters can be read here: ISSG to CLC – December 2020, CLC to ISSG – April 2021
by Clair Mooney | 20 Apr, 2021 | Main News Feed
Information has been added to guidance with information about when to use an ‘XI’ prefix in UK VAT numbers in the ‘paying VAT’ section. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/trading-and-moving-goods-in-and-out-of-northern-ireland
by Clair Mooney | 20 Apr, 2021 | Main News Feed
Apply for a grant to help small and medium-sized businesses new to importing or exporting.
You can now apply for the SME Brexit Support Fund. Smaller businesses can get up to £2,000 to pay for practical support, including training or professional advice to adjust to new customs, rules of origin and VAT rules when trading with the EU.
You can apply and find more information on eligibility here.
by Clair Mooney | 19 Apr, 2021 | Main News Feed
As part of #StressAwarenessMonth the CICV Forum has produced a guide to mental wellbeing, with a comprehensive overview of leading charities and support networks and advice on where to find essential services. #COVID19 #InThisTogether
A copy of the guide, Where to find a helping hand, can be downloaded at https://t.co/JkakMFBe9c https://t.co/NWA8Mp7dqN
by Iain McIlwee | 16 Apr, 2021 | Main News Feed
If you are an employer that requires staff to travel regularly across UK borders, you must take reasonable steps to facilitate your employees to take tests.
To help protect the country from coronavirus (COVID-19), there are testing regimes in place for those who travel regularly across UK borders. If you are an employer that fulfils the following definition, then you must take reasonable steps to facilitate the taking of tests by your employees:
- you employ more than 50 employees, of which some or all are required to take workforce tests, including agency workers you are responsible for
- your employees are required to complete testing after international travel
As an employer your ‘reasonable steps’ to facilitate the taking of tests might be:
- establishing workplace coronavirus (COVID-19) testing or providing your employee with home testing
- supporting access and signposting employees to testing outside of the workplace
Remember: A key consideration for any policy is that if you get a positive lateral flow test (LFT) which is confirmed by a positive PCR test, LFT testing will not be effective for 90 days after you have tested positive so you must not use the tests during this period.
For more information on defining “reasonable steps” click here
BuildUK has set up a guide to help set up and run a workplace testing site
BuildUK has also produced a helpful flow-chart around what to do if a worker needs to self isolate
Visit the FIS COVID-19 Hub here
