The Building Safety Regulator has today announced two independent provider schemes for building control professionals to take the first step in becoming registered building inspectors. Registration is a key part of making building control a regulated profession.

The Building Safety Competence Foundation and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) have been named as the first organisations to become independent competence assessors for all building control surveyors in England. The competence assessment is part of the pathway for building control professionals to become registered building inspectors.

More than 4,500 practicing building control professionals will need to be assessed and certified by April 2024. This will support them to become a registered building inspector. They will no longer be able to work in Building Control across the whole built environment in England without certification. Registration is required by the Building Safety Act 2022. The register will open in October 2023, with registration mandatory from April 2024, when Building Control will officially become a regulated profession.

From that date (April 2024), individual building control professionals, working for both the private sector and local authorities, will need to have passed an independent competence assessment to operate, and they will be required to be registered on the Building Safety Regulator’s register of building inspectors. BSR will provide a programme of support and guidance ahead of registration to help individuals and employers understand what they need to do to meet the requirements, as well as how to register.

As part of the BSR approved independent competence assessment schemes, candidates will be evaluated against the Building Inspector Competence Framework (BICoF) classes 2 – 4 every four years. Assessments include interview and examination pathways and continuous professional development.

The BICoF focuses on the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours expected of registered building inspectors. BICoF is split into nine interrelated subject areas, which broadly cover technical competence, competent application of knowledge and understanding in core building inspection functions and activities, and management competence.

Dr Gavin Dunn, Chief Executive of CABE, said: “Building control professionals have a vital role in helping to deliver buildings that are safe, sustainable, and accessible to all. CABE is delighted to be able to play its part in supporting professionals to demonstrate their competence and in developing a culture of continuous improvement that will help protect the public interest in the long term. We do not underestimate the challenge in getting the building control profession ready by the April 2024 deadline. It is a huge undertaking, and we are in constant talks with relevant organisations to make this transition as smooth as possible.”

The BSCF’s Chief Executive Lorna Stimpson said: “Dame Judith Hackitt asked industry for change; she asked for a change of mindset to reprioritise safety, a change of culture and the introduction of measurable competence. Dame Judith challenged industry, and in particular building control to “get on with it, don’t wait to be told what to do”. The BSCF scheme, which is developed in accordance with the requirements of ISO17024, and is audited and accredited by UKAS, is a robust, impartial and unbiased competency assessment which assesses a building control professional’s individual skills, knowledge, ethics and behaviours. The BSCF’s model reflects the changes Dame Judith called for and the change our communities deserve. It puts people’s safety first and holds up to scrutiny from all, including service users, senior managers and insurers.

We are delighted to have received approval from the Building Safety Regulator to provide independent competence assessments for building control surveyors in England. We have been impressed by the rigour of the BSR’s process for acceptance which holds true to Dame Judith’s vision of safety above all else, and we are actively encouraging building control professionals to prove their competence and make their application for registration.”

HSE’s Director of Building Safety, Philip White said: “This is a pivotal moment for the building control profession. It will enable individual building control professionals to have independent recognition of their years of investment in their skills, knowledge and experience.  It’s also another important step on the path to rebuilding confidence in the profession after Grenfell.

Our advice to those working in building control is to embrace this positive and important change and to begin the process early to avoid ending up in a queue.”

Making building control a regulated profession that is required to demonstrate its competency to the Regulator is part of the legacy of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

It is also a crucial component in BSR’s work in assuring the public that buildings are designed, built and maintained safely

Notes to editors:

About BSR: The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is an independent body established by the Building Safety Act, 2022, and is part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). We will raise building safety and performance standards and oversee a new stringent regime for high-rise residential buildings, as well as overseeing the wider system for regulating safety and performance of all buildings, and, increasing the competence of relevant regulators and industry professionals.

About HSE: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.

About CABE: As a professional body CABE bring together members, who work across the life cycle of the built environment, specialising across a wide variety of disciplines. CABE shares knowledge, raises standards and develops professionals, enabling them to meet the highest standards we all expect of them.

About Building Safety Competence Foundation: Created in 2021; the Building Safety Competency Foundation (BSCF) delivers robust competence assessment for public and private sector building control practitioners. The BSCF is a Community Interest Company, working for the public benefit, public safety and consumer protection. The BSCF’s mission is to lead cultural change in the construction industry by instilling ethics, elevating competence and raising standards in those responsible for the regulation, design, construction and maintenance of our built environment.

A three-year-old child was among 27 people killed in agriculture-related activities in the last 12 months, as Britain’s workplace regulator calls for farmers to ‘think differently about safety’.

The call for a cultural shift away from poor behaviours comes as the rate of fatal injuries in the sector remains one of the highest of all major industries.

Provisional figures for 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 show that of the 27 people killed – 21 were workers with the three-year-old child among six members of the public to lose their lives.

Being killed by an animal (cattle) is the major cause of death in 2022-23. (Vehicle related incidents are the major cause when looking at the 5 year average.)

Although, the number of fatal injuries to workers in the agricultural sector has fallen by around half since the early 1980s,  the rate of fatalities, which is based on the number of people at work in the sector, has remained high with little change. The worker fatal injury rate is 21-times  higher than the average five-year annual rate across all industries.

The most common causes of death in agriculture have not changed for many years. This year is no different. The five most common causes of work-related death in agriculture are:

• Being crushed or trampled by animals, usually cattle.
• Falling from height
• Being struck by a moving vehicle
• Coming into contact with machinery, during operation or maintenance
• Being struck by an object, such as bales or trees

Older workers, those aged 65 and older, accounted for a third of all worker fatalities.

Publication of the report (Statistics – Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain (hse.gov.uk)) coincides with the start of Farm Safety Week, which begins today (Monday 17 July) and runs until Friday.

Sue Thompson, Head of Agriculture, Health & Safety Executive, said:

“It is disappointing that yet again so many farming families and communities are left devastated when their loved ones are killed or suffer life changing illnesses caused by work.

“The number of fatalities remains stubbornly high and the rate of workplace fatal injury in agriculture still remains the highest of any sector.

“Agriculture is a vital part of the UK economy and it is not acceptable that it continues to fall short when it comes to managing risk in the workplace. It is all the more tragic that we still see children killed by farming activities. It’s time to think differently and not tolerate this any longer. Children must not be in farm workplace.

“We need everyone to play their part to improve the culture and change the poor behaviours we see far too frequently.”

• Earlier this year HSE launched ‘Your Farm – Your Future’ – a website bringing together lots of great advice on using vehicles safely on farms.

“I encourage everyone to think differently about safety, do things the right way and have the courage to ‘call out’ poor practices whenever they are seen.

“Agriculture will continue to be a priority sector for HSE. We are committed to making workplaces safer and healthier and holding employers to account for their actions, as part of our mission to protect people and places.

“Awareness of the hazards and health risks and legal requirements has never been higher. It’s great that Farm Safety Week brings the issue into focus.

“But it’s regrettable that we’re not yet seeing the widespread changes in attitude towards safety, and the improvements in behaviour that will reduce the numbers of people injured or killed.

“Everyone in agriculture has a role to play in making the changes we all want to see. It is only with the support and commitment of each and every farmer that we will see improvement.  Together, we can make farming healthier and safer.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. The report highlights trends and provides summaries of each fatality involving employees, the self-employed and members of the public. The full report along with summaries of the circumstances of the individual fatal injuries can be read at – Fatal injuries in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain: 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 (hse.gov.uk)
3. Farm Safety Week is an initiative led by the Farm Safety Foundation and supported by the Farm Safety Partnerships, The Health and Safety Executive, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health & Safety Authority, Ireland.
4. HSE continues to work with stakeholders across the farming and forestry sector to keep up the pressure to manage risk in the workplace to reduce the likelihood of serious injury, ill health and death.
5. For information on how to stay healthy and safe in agriculture see HSE guidance What a good farm looks like – Agriculture (hse.gov.uk) and Farmwise: Your essential guide to health and safety in agriculture (hse.gov.uk)
6. The Your Farm – Your Future website – bringing together lots of great advice on using vehicles safely on farms is available.

A leading workwear company has been fined £400,000 after an employee had the skin ripped off the palm of her left hand.

Sharon Chaplin, 51, was working an evening shift for Johnsons Textile Services Limited at the company’s site in Burbage, Hinckley on 16 December 2021.

The mother of two, from Barwell in Leicestershire, was trying to manually clean a sensor to initiate movement of a conveyor belt, but as she did so, her left hand was drawn into a gap where two conveyor belts meet.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Johnsons Textile Services Limited had inadequately guarded machinery, did not have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for the machinery that caused the injury and inadequate health and safety management systems in place.

Johnsons Textile Services Limited, of Logix Road, Burbage, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).

The company was fined £400,000 and was ordered to pay £5,919.63 costs at a hearing at Leicester Magistrates Court on 12 July 2023.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Nicholas Moreby said “This injury was easily preventable by applying known standards of machinery guarding and the risk should have been identified.  Employers should make sure they properly assess risk and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery”.

“The fine imposed on them should underline to all employers that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously.

“We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”

This prosecution was supported by HSE enforcement lawyers Karen Park and Nathan Cook.

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE guidance on equipment and machinery is available.

A Welsh company that manufactures kitchen and toilet tissue paper has been fined £1million after an employee was seriously injured when he was struck in the face by a crane hook.

On 5 November 2019, the man who worked for Sofidel UK Limited based in Neath, was attempting to free a paper reel, which had become stuck on the exit rails of a paper machine, by using an overhead crane.

During the operation, part of the crane contacted the spinning reel causing the crane hook to swing violently striking the man in the face. He suffered the loss of an eye, multiple fractures to the face and lost 9 teeth.

HSE has guidance about the safe use of work equipment.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Sofidel UK Limited, based at Brunel Way, Baglan Energy Park, Briton Ferry, Neath, failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment to identify the hazards posed by paper reels which did not eject correctly from the machine. They also failed to ensure that control measures were in place and that employees were provided with information and instructions on what to do should this situation arise.  The issue was happening regularly, yet no risk assessment had been undertaken despite operators being provided with basic equipment to use in these circumstances.

At Swansea Magistrates’ Court on 13 July, Sofidel UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £1million and ordered to pay costs of £13,446.50.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Matthew Gray, said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by carrying out a suitable risk assessment which included non-routine operations such as clearing of blockages, and by implementing appropriate control measures and safe working practices.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.

A Welshpool manufacturing company has been fined £100,000 after one of its employees partially severed two fingers while trying to find a fault in a machine.

Interior Products Group Limited (known as Newmor Group Ltd at the time of the incident) manufacture and sell pre-finished fit out products to a variety of sectors.

The experienced employee, from Wrexham, was attempting to identify a fault in an edgebander machine – used to apply edging tape to the raw edges of wood panels with a hot-melt adhesive or glue.

Wrexham Magistrates’ Court heard how the experienced employee suffered the injuries while checking for debris on the trimming unit of the edgebander.  Having failed to turn the machine off correctly before raising it to look inside, the worker then stepped over two supporting rails and placed their fingers on a trimming unit, resulting in two being partially severed.

Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it was discovered that although the company had carried out a number of risk assessments on the machine, they failed to identify the hazards presented by the cutting and trimming units from the front of the edgebander.  They also failed to provide suitable and sufficient, information, instruction and training to enable their staff to carry out activities such as cleaning, fault finding and minor repairs safely.

Interior Products Group Limited of Madocs Works, Henfaes Lane, Welshpool pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,688.

Speaking after the case HSE inspector Joe Boast said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in that safe system of working.

“If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the life changing injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”

Notes to editors 

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Guidance on working safely with machinery is available.