Hertfordshire Building Control hosted an impactful Continuing Professional Development (CPD) event that brought together industry experts on all topics related to competence and new building safety regulations
The webinar, focused on the Building Safety Act 2022, aims to educate on the critical roles of duty holders within the construction industry, particularly under new legislation and requirements for competence.
The Building Safety Act represents a transformative shift towards improved safety and accountability in buildings, with an emphasis on high-rise residential structures.
The webinar is designed to explore the specific roles and responsibilities of duty holders, especially the principal designer and principal contractor roles that are now integrated into building regulations via secondary legislation effective from October 2023. The level of competence required by these regulations is crucial for all building work.
The webinar features three expert panellists: Paul Nash, Adrian Dobson, and Gerald Naylor
Paul Nash MSc PPCIOB
Paul has had a 40-year career with leading UK construction firms and now runs his own business advising developers, contractors, and investors. As a Past-President and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), he actively raises awareness of construction sector issues. He chaired the CIOB’s Construction Quality Commission and currently leads its Quality Implementation Group.
In 2017, Paul chaired the working group on procurement as part of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety led by Dame Judith Hackitt, and is a member of the Industry Safety Steering Group. He also advises the Building Safety Regulator as a member of the Building Advisory Committee.
Adrian Dobson MPhil BArch BA(Hons) RIBA – Royal Institute of British Architects
Adrian Dobson is Executive Director Professional Knowledge and Standards at the Royal Institute of British Architects. He is responsible for the RIBA’s education, practice and professional standards services, and leadership of its policy and public affairs work.
A Chartered Architect, having completed his architecture studies at the University of Manchester, his practice experience is mainly in the education and community sectors. He has also taught in higher education and carried out research in BIM.
Adrian was closely involved in the development of the updated RIBA Plan of Work. Since the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, Adrian has supported the work of the RIBA Expert Advisory Group on Fire Safety.
Gerald Naylor BSc LCGI MA FCIOB – Chartered Institute of Building
Gerald Naylor is an education and training consultant and former Director of the Construction Wales Innovation Centre a unique collaborative venture between the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the Construction Industry Training Board. Gerald is the Technical Author of the BSI PAS 8672 (Framework for competence of individual Principal Contractors) and writer of the CIOB Specification for the Principal Contractor Competency Certification Scheme.
Gerald has a long association with the CIOB serving at regional and national levels. He is a Fellow of the Institute and is the Immediate Past Chair of the Wales Hub. He is currently the Chair of the Awarding Organisation Compliance Panel and External Moderator of the Fire Safety Certificate and Building Safety Diploma programmes.
Read more about the session below
This article aims to provide a thorough overview of the recent CPD event, emphasising the key discussions and insights shared by industry experts. It serves as an educational resource for professionals in the construction industry, highlighting the importance of competence and regulatory compliance in building safety.
Paul Nash kicks off the session with an introduction and background on the new duty holder roles and their implications. Adrian Dobson discusses the principal designer’s role, while Gerald Naylor focuses on the principal contractor’s role, providing insights into the competency requirements essential for ensuring building safety. The session concludes with a Q&A segment.
Readers of PBC Today Magazine have the opportunity to watch this insightful 1.5-hour webinar for free. Here’s a closer look at what was discussed.
Addressing incompetence and government response
A key segment of the webinar focuses on the consequences of incompetence in the industry, illustrated by real incidents including, of course, Grenfell.
The speakers discuss the government’s response, including reviews and inspections aimed at addressing these competence issues. The inquiry report identified four major issues: ignorance, indifference, lack of clarity, and inadequate regulatory oversight. These findings underscored the need for robust competency frameworks and the urgent necessity for industry-wide improvements.
The regulations set out specific duties for duty holders, including the allocation of time and resources, cooperation, and competence declaration. The speakers discussed competency regimes for both principal designers and contractors, highlighting the importance of skill, knowledge, experience, and ethical behaviour.
Principal designers
Adrian highlights RIBA’s initiatives to support architects and designers in demonstrating their competence. RIBA is developing a principal designer register to formalise competence in statutory duties. So far, over 1,000 RIBA members have completed a detailed training program.
RIBA continues to support its members and the wider industry by providing guides, contracts, and a fire safety overlay to the RIBA plan of work. They are also developing a compliance tracker to help members document their steps in discharging duties under the Building Safety Act.
Adrian addressed common questions about the principal designer role, including its applicability in design and build situations and smaller domestic projects, compliance statements and completion notice procedures.
Principal contractors
Gerald Naylor shared insights on the competencies required for principal contractors, emphasising the need to plan, manage, and monitor building work during the construction phase. Principal contractors must coordinate building work, share information with principal designers, and ensure regulatory compliance.
Gerald explained the CIOB’s competency regime, stressing the significance of having robust competency frameworks for building professionals.
Ensuring building safety and compliance
The webinar concluded with discussions on building regulations, quality assurance, and the complexity of the principal designer role.
The need for standardised assessments and a larger pool of assessors was discussed, along with the importance of evidence of compliance and quality assurance in building design and construction.
Watch the Webinar
We invite you to watch the full 1.5-hour webinar. The insights shared by industry experts are invaluable for anyone involved in construction, from designers to contractors.
