Construction procurement bodies, Crown Commercial Service and Scape, have adopted the Building a Safer Future (BSF) initiative to their frameworks
Building a Safer Future (BSF) will help the construction industry to ensure that buildings are safe for those living and working in them.
It aims to drive up standards, change culture/behaviours and elevate building safety from the design process all the way through to management and maintenance.
Crown Commercial Service and Scape will include both ‘BSF Champion’ status and ‘Registered Signatory’ status.
- A BSF Signatory – publicly and proactively supporting five pledges that demonstrate a commitment to protecting life by putting safety first, ahead of all other building priorities.
- A BSF Champion – through robust self-assessment, benchmarking and independent. verification, BSF helps companies identify potential issues and, in turn, develop continuous improvement plans to advance their overall approach and performance on leadership and culture in relation to building safety and drive up standards across the sector.
Amanda Long, Chief Executive, Building a Safer Future, said: “I am delighted that two major procurement frameworks, Crown Commercial Service and Scape have chosen to adopt Building a Safer Future as a critical lever of change. This trailblazing development will further support the construction industry to take the critical steps to put building safety first, and recognise those that do so. I encourage other procurement frameworks to follow their lead.”
‘Building safety first’
John Welch, deputy director construction, Crown Commercial Service, said: “I am thrilled to be working in partnership with SCAPE and BSF on this hugely important development. This is a crucial first step in working collaboratively to demonstrate our joint commitment to building safety.
“CCS are committed to supporting the industry to drive a fundamental culture change to building safety. Through the foundations put in place by our commercial agreements we will work together with our stakeholders, customers and suppliers to raise industry standards.”
Mark Robinson, Scape chief executive officer, commented:
“We firmly believe that nothing is so important that it cannot be delivered safely. Construction projects are complex and require extensive coordination. However, every construction project should put building safety first and ensure the wellbeing and safety of each building, operative, visitor and the wider local community. This should apply to every project, irrespective of size or complexity.
“A culture of safety is a choice, and it is created by design. It requires constant communication, rigorous application and the ongoing evaluation of site operating procedures. At Scape, we’re proud to have amassed an exemplar track record on building safety across the UK, so we were thrilled to take a proactive leadership role with this important initiative.
“The principles and commitments of Building a Safer Future and the BSF Champions process closely align to our own values and those held by our colleagues at Crown Commercial Service. As a team, we are delighted to lend our voice and experience to help bring about the cultural and behavioural change that is sorely needed across the sector.”
