The Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG) report says culture change has been slow in the construction industry due in part to its “fragmented nature”
The industry safety steering group (ISSG) was established to encourage culture change within the construction industry and to monitor broader industry’s progress on implementing the recommendations in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.
Members of the ISSG have been drawn from senior levels in a wide range of sectors including the oil and gas, civil aviation, financial and chemical engineering industries to challenge the construction sector’s current thinking and to offer advice on how other sectors have addressed similar issues.
The report focusses on a number of themes the Industry Safety Steering Group has reviewed to date; competence, industry culture change and leadership, procurement and construction products. It provides details of the ISSG’s findings from its engagement with industry players including the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), the Industry Early Adopters, members of the Competence Steering Group and the Crown Commercial Services.
The reports also provides details on the ISSG’s observations on the industry’s progress embedding the recommendations in the Independent Review and moving forward with culture change.
The ISSG “recognises that for some areas progress on raising competence levels may take longer to resolve, but that progress is being made under the leadership of organisations such as Build UK and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.”
It also stated that it “welcomes the work of groups such as the Early Adopters to take early action on prioritising building and fire safety and encourages industry to learn from their early leadership” but “has noted, however, that progress has been slow across parts of industry due in part to its fragmented nature.”
The ISSG said that an unwillingness to share best practice and the struggle of ensuring the message of culture change reaches the whole of industry still hold back the full potential of change.
It said: “The publication of the government’s consultation document represents a significant opportunity to reinforce the message that culture change must happen and that the new regulatory framework will ensure that the industry is held to account.”
