by Oscar Venus | 8 Dec, 2023 | Skills
The Government has announced a number of changes to the Points‐Based Immigration System (PBIS) designed to reduce overall net migration. From next spring, the Government will increase the earning threshold for the Skilled Worker visa from £26,200 to £38,700, as well as raise the Immigration Health Surcharge from £624 to £1,035. The Shortage Occupations List will also be replaced with a new ‘Immigration Salary List’, which will retain a general salary discount but include fewer occupations.
Under the PBIS, most workers from outside the UK in construction are ‘skilled workers’ and require a Skilled Worker visa to work in an eligible occupation. Build UK’s flowchart provides an overview of the process of employing a worker from outside the UK, with detailed guidance on How to Get a Sponsor Licence and How to Get a Skilled Worker Visa.
by Oscar Venus | 8 Dec, 2023 | Building Safety Act
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has published its first strategic plan, setting out how it will carry out its building safety functions through to March 2026. With a vision to “create a built environment where everyone is competent and takes responsibility to ensure buildings are of high quality and are safe”, the plan includes an ambitious roadmap outlining a wide‐ranging programme of activity for the next three years:
- Year one (April 2023 ‐ March 2024) ‐ Implementation of the new regime, including ensuring dutyholders are aware of their responsibilities and publishing a register of Higher‐Risk Buildings (HRBs)
- Year two (April 2024 ‐ March 2025) ‐ Consolidation of the regime, including establishing the regulated building control profession and assessing 20% of occupied HRBs, prioritising those with un‐remediated ACM cladding
- Year three (April 2025 ‐ March 2026) ‐ Operation of the regime on a ‘steady state’ basis, whilst reviewing the effectiveness of the BSR and setting its strategy for the next three years.
The BSR has also published its Enforcement Policy setting out where it will take action in the event of non‐compliance. Philip White, the HSE’s Director of Building Safety, has been appointed to lead the BSR on a permanent basis, which will include performing the duties of the Chief Inspector of Buildings.
by Oscar Venus | 6 Dec, 2023 | Health and Safety
The GAI DHF Code of Practice is a significant document that is often cited in Approved Documents and equivalent regulations throughout the UK and Ireland.
Recently, the code underwent a revision process, and it is now open for public comment by industry experts. If you’re interested in providing feedback, please use the commenting template provided via the link below.
by Clair Mooney | 5 Dec, 2023 | Main News Feed
Leading contractors, developers and housebuilders have stepped up to support the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) and signed a pledge to work with their strategic suppliers and manufacturers to drive CCPI conformance and raise standards in the industry.
Barratt Developments PLC, Berkeley Homes PLC, Mace Group, Morgan Sindall Group, Murphy, Persimmon Homes and Skanska UK, are the first companies to step up and become CCPI Demand-Side Supporters.
In becoming a CCPI Supporter, these companies are committing to supporting the CCPI and requiring their strategic suppliers and manufacturers of construction products in their supply chain to ensure that those products are either verified by the CCPI or undergoing the CCPI verification process.
The pledge includes a focus that CCPI conformance will be delivered as soon as possible and has a timebound commitment for delivery by December 2026 at the latest. To this end and wherever possible, CCPI Supporters are committed to introducing this commitment into supply agreements as a preference and prioritising working with strategic suppliers and manufacturers who prioritise delivery of CCPI verification and conformance.
The announcement has been positively welcomed by key industry organisations wishing to support this critical effort to raise standards in the industry including the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF), the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) and the Construction Products Association (CPA – which is also the organisation credited as the founder of the CCPI).
Dame Judith Hackitt, author of the Building a Safer Future Review and Chair of the Industry Safety Steering Group said,
‘It is great to see demand side companies take this lead and setting expectations for the supply chains. This is exactly what we need to see to drive the take up of CCPI’.
From the National Construction Products regulator, Duncan Johnson Deputy Director Construction Products said, “This is a very welcome initiative and an important step forward in constructing better, safer buildings.”
Amanda Long, Chief Executive of CPI Ltd, the not-for-profit organisation set-up to independently verify CCPI conformance said,
‘I warmly congratulate the first CCPI Supporters on their leadership and strongly encourage others to join them. CCPI Supporters recognise that they need to deploy products that are supplied with clear, accurate, accessible, up-to date and unambiguous product information. Products that are verified against the CCPI will help enable companies to have greater confidence in the construction product information on which they base important decisions in the construction process. Watch this space for further CCPI Supporters announcements to come!’
CCPI, having announced its first product set verifications at the beginning of September is gaining momentum with now approximately 48 companies either already through or in process for the CCPI Organisational Assessment, (which is the gateway element of the CCPI assessment process), and approximately 46 product sets (including approximately 700 products) product information either verified or in process of verification.
The launch of the CCPI Demand-Side Supporters now provides the opportunity for organisations that wish to drive positive tangible change in the sector from the demand-side to join this community and demonstrate their commitment.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a CCPI Supporter please contact: enquiries@cpicode.org.uk to request a CCPI Supporter Pledge.
by Oscar Venus | 5 Dec, 2023 | Sustainability
Getting ready for Net Zero: SKA announces new Board and governance
- SKArating is announcing an exciting change in leadership and new plans to scale up to support the growing need to reshape sustainability in the fit-out world.
- SKArating has, over the last 15 years, helped over 12,000 fit-out projects improve sustainability and provided a framework for countless more to make better, responsible, sustainable decisions.
This month SKArating is announcing an exciting change in its leadership and governance, as well as new plans to scale up to support the growing need to reshape sustainability in the fit-out world.
Developed in 2008 to help landlords and tenants systemise sustainability and assess fit-out projects against a practical sustainability rating system, SKA is unique in that it is driven exclusively to make a positive impact. At the heart of SKA is a toolkit and assessment criteria that is free to use – costs are covered via training and certification. The scheme has now supported more than 12,000 fit-out projects to make responsible decisions.
SKArating was initially developed by a group of industry professionals led by Skansen and supported by RICS and AECOM to focus on sustainability in fit-out, primarily in the commercial office, higher education and retail space. The underlying philosophy of SKArating has always been to encourage all in the supply chain to make small changes in a practical way today.
To establish SKArating in the market, RICS provided a platform to incubate the scheme, host information and support the rating and certification process. The changes announced this week will see SkArating trade as an independent “not-for-profit” business.
The new board is formed from people with a long-standing association with the scheme. Elina Grigoriou has chaired the SKArating Technical Committee since the scheme was first launched in 2008, and served on the SKArating Development Board as well as delivering the training of SKArating assessors. She is joined by Joe Croft, Charlie Law and Dave Wakelin who have been members of the Technical Committee for many years, and Iain McIlwee who has joined the board, cementing the Finishes and Interiors Sector’s strong association with the scheme. The Board has supported SKArating through its incubation with RICS and provides continuity as the scheme takes its next steps.
SKA provides:
- A framework to help understand good practice in fit-out and how to implement it.
- An informal self-assessment tool for analysing environmental performance of a fit-out project
- An opportunity to benchmark the performance of fit-outs
- Quality-assured assessments from an accredited SKA assessor
- A measure to help landlords and owners to demonstrate the sustainable credentials of commercial space
The way SKArating operates will not be affected. Assessments will continue to be certified as they were under RICS’s stewardship. Assessors will continue to receive the same technical support that they have previously enjoyed through RICS, with updated processes for assessor accreditation and CPD.
However, the board has plans to update the SKArating schemes to respond to an increasingly climate-aware fit-out industry, and to expand the sectors that SKArating can be used in. The board will be reaching out to industry experts, SKArating users, assessors and clients to help develop the next iteration of the tool and the various schemes.
Chairperson of the new SKA Board Elina Grigoriou stated:
“This is an exciting time in the evolution of SKA. After 15 years developing the product and building awareness, we are now ready to step out on our own and work with our amazing community to take this scheme to the next level. With SKA now firmly established, it is time to take the next step and RICS has supported the leadership group to establish SKA as an independent social value business.
“All of us on the new Board and our Technical advisors are passionate and committed to remaining true to the SKA values for its future direction. SKA will remain owned by the industry and run as a “not-for-profit” ensuring it is always acting in the best interest of the market.”
Commenting on the changes, Janine Cole, Sustainability & Social Impact Director at Great Portland Estates plc stated:
“GPE have used SKArating for several years and has supported the business in improving the sustainability performance of our smaller refurbishment projects. The flexible nature of the scheme makes it ideal for this type of project, as a result, it was recently included within “Our Brief for Creating Sustainable Spaces” as a requirement for our on floor fit out schemes. We look forward to working with the SKArating Board as they develop the scheme.”
Ben Stubbs, Head of Sustainability (Built Environment) at UCL added:
“At UCL, all our project teams are accountable for their impacts across a broad range of sustainability indicators. We recognise Ska’s potential to help us further reduce our impacts as we continue to update our institutional targets.”
More details on the SKArating is available here: www.skarating.org
by Oscar Venus | 4 Dec, 2023 | Market data
According to surveys conducted throughout the construction supply chain, the sector experienced a decline in activity during Q3 of 2023. Heavy side and light side manufacturers experienced sales declines, while chartered surveyors saw their workloads decrease. Small and medium-sized contractors, as well as civil engineering contractors, also saw their net workload balances weaken. The surveys revealed that forward-looking questions all pointed to a deteriorating backdrop for the next year. Concerns over demand strength, tighter financial constraints due to raised interest rates, and a decrease in new enquiries – including in sectors that had previously driven construction activity – were all noted. Additionally, construction costs continued to rise, outpacing increases in tender prices and reducing profit margins.
The CPA’s Construction Trade Survey brings together results from surveys of building contractors, specialist contractors, civil contractors and product manufacturers. It provides a pan-industry assessment of current and expected conditions.
Members can access the Trade Survey here
by Oscar Venus | 4 Dec, 2023 | Health and Safety, Skills
Sign up for our free online fire safety training course and start learning today! Gain the knowledge and skills necessary to identify and mitigate potential fire hazards, all from the comfort of your own home. This course is specifically designed for those working in the construction industry but it is open to everyone who is interested in improving their awareness of fire safety in the workplace.
Importance of Fire Safety Awareness
Fire safety awareness is crucial for everyone. Being responsible and aware of potential fire hazards can reduce the risk of a fire taking place, improve evacuation procedures, and minimise harm to people.
By enrolling in our course, you’ll have access to a range of benefits, including:
- 12-month access to interactive online course materials
- Certification upon passing the end-of-course exam
- Learn at your own pace – complete the course in as little as 2 hours or take your time to explore the content fully
- Study with flexibility – you’ll have 12 months of unlimited access to the eLearning portal
- You decide when to learn – fit your learning around your lifestyle, whether that’s in the morning, afternoon, or evening
- 100% online learning, no tutor involvement – get started right away, no need to travel or take time off work
- Become safer on site – upon completing the course, you’ll gain a five-year fire safety awareness qualification
Is This the Right Course for You?
If you work in construction, live in the UK, want to improve your knowledge of fire safety awareness, or want to demonstrate to your employer that you are committed to a positive health and safety culture, then this is the course for you!
Access the course here
by Clair Mooney | 4 Dec, 2023 | Sustainability
In conjunction with its members and the wider sector, FIS is developing an exciting new reuse pilot project to reduce the environmental impact of the fit-out sector and embodied carbon emissions and waste from strip out projects.
Surveys have shown that there is a growing appetite for enabling more reused products into commercial projects. However, there are a number of practical barriers for reuse. Often, there is little time and space on site to segregate and store products to be picked up by an organisation for reuse. Construction projects are very time dependant and any delays to a project timeline can be very costly. In order for the project team to specify reused products, they need to be confident that the products will be available at the time of installation and that the products meet the right quality requirements.
The reuse initiative seeks to remove these barriers, by collaborating with industry stakeholders to create a physical hub to store, process and distribute quality reuse products.
The pilot will take place in London and focus on two products: metal suspended ceiling systems and luminaires used in Cat A and will run for 12 months.
To support the initiative, FIS is looking for a project manager (on short-term contract or a secondee) to work alongside its sustainability champion and its CEO to deliver the pilot. More details here.
The project also requires a storage facility up to 200m2 of safe and secure storage space for six months, with the ability to grow in the future. More details here.
FIS CEO Iain Mcilwee said:
“I am excited about this project, we talk a lot about circularity, but sometimes I worry the hot air is contributing to climate change! This is a concerted effort to actually do something material, to learn as a collective and start, I hope, to catalyse change. We simply can’t carry on generating waste like we do – urban mining, reuse and circular thinking is essential in this.”
If you are interested in finding more about the project or joining the Reuse Initiative Working Group contact flavielowres@thefis.org
by Clair Mooney | 30 Nov, 2023 | Main News Feed
In an environment where detailing is under constant review, we recommend that designers check with the partition system manufacturer, and the doorset manufacturer when detailing any fire resistant drylining and where fire resistance and robustness is required.
The key message here is just because a detail has been used before, don’t assume it will still be supported by the manufacturer.
