A new report from the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has shown that many contractors are struggling with rapid changes and updates from the Building Safety Act (BSA) that they need to stay on top of
Aside from BSA knowledge requirements, construction engineering contractors are also under pressure from commercial and time expectations from clients.
On the positive side, awareness of the requirements that the BSA now demands is at an all-time high.
More than 6,000 firms were contacted for the survey
64% of responding firms agreed that they felt confident they could demonstrate their duty holder requirements “very well”, but 74% said that they had not seen any significant changes in client behaviour since the BSA came into effect. This indicates that although many contractors and specialists are adapting their systems and processes, there may be a discrepancy between client behaviours, procurement practices, and understanding of responsibilities, resulting in a slowed pace of progress.
One respondent said that “This results in conflict as we resist, and ultimately we get commercially punished for standing our ground and doing the job properly.”
21% of smaller firms are only slowly adapting to the new regime, admitting that they had made no significant changes, while this number drops to just 5% of medium and larger organisations, indicating that the changes made in the BSA are particularly hard for small enterprises to implement.
Furthermore, competence is a frequent issue, with one in three respondents saying that the biggest challenge is demonstrating competence in practice rather than just holding a qualification. 40% of respondents said that competence issues were identified “frequently or occasionally.”
Rachel Davidson, BESA director of specialist knowledge, said: “Four years after the act came into force, more firms are building the knowledge and behaviours needed for a safer built environment.
“This represents real progress and we are now moving from raising awareness to helping firms meet the assurance challenge i.e. demonstrating their competence and compliance in practice.
“However, there is a level of frustration about information overload, commercial pressures and clients who are ‘not on the same page’. And there are still firms that are not engaging with the process at any level, but their ranks are shrinking.”
Tools to help navigate new requirements
The BESA itself has produced a Client’s Guide to the Building Safety Act which aims to simplify and explain client responsibilities under the BSA, as well as the practical implications. Access to this can be found here.
Furthermore, a digital tool has been launched earlier this month by law firm Browne Jacobson, which allows users to access relevant and actionable guidance that is tailored to their specific circumstances, as well as access to their Building Safety Group.
Gavin Hoccom, Browne Jacobson construction partner who developed the tool, explained: “The Building Safety Act has created real complexity for a wide range of organisations, and many are still working out what it means for them.
“We developed the BSA Tool to give organisations a practical, accessible way to cut through that complexity.”
Read more about the tool and how to access it here.
