The Building Safety Act 2022 is the most significant change to building and fire safety regulation in a generation. The Act is challenging how all in the construction industry must operate, from clients, principal designers, manufacturers, main contractors to operatives working on site.
The competence of the workforce is at the heart of the Act, it defines competence as having the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours (SKEB) and places a legal duty on individuals carrying out construction work to be competent for their roles.
Today, CSCS cards display the competency threshold for each occupation as determined by the relevant Standard Sector Body and Sector Representative Organisation. In most cases this equates to a qualification (an NVQ) and the appropriate level of health and safety test. Soon, it will no longer just be about having qualifications and a health and safety test but include a culture of the ongoing development of skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours.
Leading on this work is the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) and their Working Groups who are made up of representatives from the relevant sectors and occupations.
CSCS is working with a number of occupations and the ICSG Working Groups to ensure when the various elements of the SKEB are in place, they can be validated by the relevant card scheme and displayed on the card.