Building safety starts with individual competence
By Helen Hewitt, CEO, British Woodworking Federation (BWF)
In today’s post-Grenfell legislative landscape, accountability and evidence are crucial to underpin decisions made across the construction industry. Key to this is individual competence, which the Building Safety Act 2022 has placed a clear emphasis on, shifting the focus from assumed competence to demonstrable individual competence.
Assumed competence often relies on basic evidence, such as a certificate of completion for a training course or a company accreditation, demonstrating that an individual or business has met a defined set of requirements. However, neither provides a complete picture of whether an individual has the competence to carry out a specific role to the required standard. Only robust evidence of qualifications, on-site experience, role-specific skills and behaviours can demonstrate this.
As a sector of skilled tradespeople responsible for the manufacture, build and installation of life-critical products, including staircases and fire doors, the competence of our professionals can directly affect product performance and safety. For example, a properly specified and rigorously tested fire door will not perform as designed if it is installed incorrectly.
This is why our understanding of competence is rightly evolving. Individual competence cannot be inferred from an e-learning certificate, an accredited course or company-level accreditation alone. It requires evidence that the person doing the work has the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours (SKEB) required for their role.
A stronger focus on individual competence
Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Building Safety Act 2022 has brought greater responsibility and accountability to the construction sector. This includes changing the way the sector views and demonstrates competence, moving away from assuming that people undertaking safety-critical work are competent based on limited individual SKEB evidence or organisational third-party certification schemes.
Organisational accreditation is embedded across the industry and will continue to provide valuable assurance to the supply chain. However, for woodworking businesses, the question should be whether their individuals can demonstrate the competence required for their roles.
This is particularly relevant to fire safety. While existing third-party certification schemes have an important role in maintaining standards across the fire industry, the focus should also be on establishing an individual’s competence against an industry-recognised minimum standard.
This shift in focus is becoming increasingly important. In fact, Andy Roe, Chair of the Building Safety Regulator, said in a recent interview that he expects the balance of regulation to move from the building itself to the people who build it, through regulation of key professions, including licences to practise. While this is only Andy’s opinion for now, it clearly highlights a long-term emphasis on individual competence and accountability.
This approach is also supported by the general public, with 79% believing that those responsible for installing and maintaining fire doors should have specialist qualifications or accreditations to demonstrate their skills and competency.
To drive forward the sector’s transition to evidencing individual competence, the BWF is leading on and contributing to the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) Sector-Led Group 10 (SLG 10) Installers and Trades. The group is working to define and launch individual routes to competence for roles including site carpenter, architectural joiner and specialist timber fire door installer.
Establishing a clear route
The next step for the sector is to adopt competence frameworks as they are released and embed them within the workforce to support compliance with the Building Safety Act 2022 and industry best practice.
For example, under the Site Carpentry – Specific to First and Second Fix Activities (Doors and Stairs) competence route, individuals will require regulated vocational qualifications – NVQ Level 2 in England or SVQ Level 6 in Scotland in site carpentry – or have completed a recognised carpentry and joinery apprenticeship.
The route also requires individuals to pass additional tests, including the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Health, Safety and Environment test to obtain the blue CSCS card, as well as the CITB Fire Safety in Buildings course. Together, these requirements provide a defined pathway towards demonstrating competence recognised by the Building Safety Regulator.
The newly reviewed National Occupational Standards (NOS) are currently awaiting regulatory approval, while the recommended NVQ Level 2 qualification structure (RQS) is also being updated alongside relevant apprenticeship standards.
For businesses, implementing these requirements will require a period of transition. Employers need to assess their current workforce against the emerging requirements and identify where investment in training and qualifications may be required.
At the BWF, we are also working with industry partners and engaging with UKAS-accredited schemes to explore how the competence frameworks and individual qualification requirements can be incorporated into accreditation processes. This will help make the transition more practical for businesses while creating greater consistency across the sector.
Keeping competence current
Demonstrating competence should not be regarded as the end of the process. Competence needs to remain relevant as roles, standards and working practices change.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) will therefore play an important part in maintaining and revalidating competence. For site carpenters and joiners, the competence route will include a range of defined CPD options that can support ongoing development, maintenance of competence and contribute towards CSCS card revalidatio
This creates a clear professional development pathway for individuals, while giving employers greater confidence that the skills required across their workforce continue to be maintained and validated in line with their legal obligations.
It also reinforces a key component of the focus on individual competence – it cannot be treated as something that is achieved once and then left unchanged. The skills and knowledge requirements within qualifications change and evolve, as do the requirements and scope of a role. A person’s ability to carry out their role safely and effectively therefore needs to be developed and maintained throughout their working life.
Making competence meaningful
The move towards demonstrable individual competence represents an important development for the woodworking and joinery sector, and the wider construction industry. With competence ultimately held at the individual level, employers and hirers must be able to clearly evidence that the person undertaking a task has the capability required for the role and aligns with the relevant competence framework.
For woodworking businesses, this means looking beyond organisational accreditation and understanding the capabilities available within teams and across supply chains to evidence competence.
For manufacturers, it reinforces the importance of clear installation guidance and of working with competent installers so that products perform as intended. For individuals, it provides a clearer route for demonstrating, developing and maintaining the competencies required for their role.
For a sector working with products that contribute to the safety and performance of UK buildings, this is a positive step. The competence frameworks, their qualifications and apprenticeships, as well as ongoing professional development, all reinforce the same objective – providing individuals with the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours they need to deliver safe, high-quality work.
For more information, visit the BWF website.
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