The Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG) was established in 2018 and has reported regularly on the progress being made on driving culture change within the many groups who are part of the built environment sector.
In its fourth report it has seen further good examples of those demonstrating best practice since it last reported, but warns that there is still not a consistent picture across industry.
Industry and broader actors in the system still need to do a lot more to commit to building safety and to demonstrate that their commitment is driven by the right motivation. The period covered by this report has seen a higher level of interest and engagement but at the same time we have encountered a widespread tendency to further delay taking action on the basis that some are awaiting further detail to emerge in legislation.
By way of example, training and upskilling of the workforce is required now to fill existing competence gaps and drive up quality levels. It is for industry itself to define the competences it needs to deliver work that is fit for purpose not for this to be prescribed by the regulator.
“We are also deeply concerned by the actions of some developers where we have seen hard evidence of them continuing to proceed without considering safety in the early stages of a building’s design and continuing with the construction of buildings to standards which they know will change very soon,” said the group. “Not only is it disappointing that they are failing to ‘do the right thing’ but we do not understand the mindset when they may well face serious challenge from the regulator before the building is handed over for occupation and/or they may be creating future need for remediation work.
“The ISSG’s work turns over stones no one else has turned. In doing this, we inevitably reveal further issues that require investigation and where some actors have not even recognised the role they play and the difference they can make to the system. ISSG has therefore continued to delve further into the built environment and its associated areas to identify issues not immediately apparent to others.
“For much of the last year we have been seeking to find ways to involve the financial community in our discussion and to explore how they might influence the sector to behave more responsibly. In doing this we have also taken time to examine how other locations around the world who are facing similar challenges have progressed. It is clear that there are initiatives underway which we should follow closely and seek to emulate here in the UK.
“We have also been clear on the need for reform in the area of Construction Products regulation and very much welcome the publication of the Morrell/Day report. We will continue to push industry to act responsibly in this area whilst continuing to maintain a close watching brief of the progress of regulatory reform.
“We have also considered how the ISSG itself should evolve with the introduction of the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Building Safety Act 2022, the new Building Safety Regulator for England, and the new National Regulator for Construction Products in the Office of Product Safety and Standards. We believe there is still a need for the ISSG to guide industry and openly encourage culture change. This will be particularly important in the areas of insurance, investment and procurement, which are at the periphery of the regulators’ scope, but which have a powerful role to play in driving the right behaviours. ISSG is also very keen to follow through the new regime’s implications for residents of high-rise buildings and to ensure that the new system delivers for the people to whom building safety matters to most.
“ISSG will therefore continue taking forward the message that developing and maintaining a positive culture is everyone’s responsibility and needs a continuous and sustained effort from all involved in the industry.”
The Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG) was formed to scrutinise the built environment industry’s proposals and progress towards culture change, on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). The role of the group is to provide constructive challenge, recommend actions, overcome obstacles and make proposals to accelerate change with all actors in the system.
Through its engagement with the broad industry, the ISSG continues to highlight the importance and relevance of the building safety agenda to the various players. Particularly supporting industry leaders to take on the necessary role and responsibility for delivering the required change. This will be key to underpinning effective delivery of the legislative changes being brought about through the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022. Further, the group continues to hold industry to account for delivering culture change.
The ISSG’s role is about challenging and encouraging all parts of industry involved in the built environment to collectively bring itself up to the level where it should always have been operating. We do not tell industry what to do – but we do set clear expectations and we do not accept excuses.
