The Building Safety Act as a culture change catalyst – what contractors need to know

She continues: “This will only ever foster a culture of low-level compliance, rather than the innate safety-first mentality which is fundamental to rebuilding trust in the industry.”

Building Engineer, ‘Hackitt vents frustrations over slow safety culture change’, https://www.buildingengineer.org.uk/news/hackitt-vents-frustration-over-slow-safety-culture-change 

The rising importance of behavioural competencies

The Building Safety Act emphasises the need for the right skills, knowledge and experience throughout the supply chain, but it also adds behaviours to the list. Behavioural competencies are now a crucial part of the regulatory landscape – they’re expected of every contractor and they’re here to stay. Building standards state that;

‘ensuring that people possess appropriate behavioural competence is critical to achieving and maintaining building safety outcomes.’

Indeed, BSI Flex 8670 outlines four key principles for behavioural competence which the Act brings into law.

• Respect for life, the law, the environment, and public good

This requires construction businesses to prioritise the health and safety of others, ensure ethical and lawful behaviour and recognize the importance of security and data protection.

• Honesty and integrity

This ensures contractors behave reliably and treat others fairly, respect confidentiality and declare conflicts of interest, and reject bribery and corruption.

• Accuracy and rigour

Contractors are expected to act with care and stay competent, assist in the development of others when it comes to knowledge and skills, and review evidence honestly and objectively.

• Direction, conduct, and communication

This says that contractors should always communicate effectively and champion equality, raise awareness of industry advances and challenge concerning statements or policies.

These competencies are not new but are now enshrined in legislation. They ensure that all parties involved in construction prioritise safety, integrity and professionalism, and by embedding it into law, it’s hoped behaviour can become second nature and part of the culture shift.

A duty of care

One of the key behavioural changes that will be required by the whole industry, will be to demonstrate how they have safety at the centre of their organisation.

To fulfil its duties, the Building Safety Act requires companies to maintain the ‘golden thread of information’ throughout the lifecycle of a high-risk building. This is defined as ‘the information that allows you to understand a building and the steps needed to keep both the building and people safe, now and in the future’.

The thread is a digital, secure and easily-accessible repository of crucial information, such as details describing the building and outlining how it complies with regulations. It’s a fundamental aspect of building safety, ensuring that the right information is available to the right people at the right time.

To manage building information effectively, data must be:

• Kept digitally
• Kept securely
• A building’s single source of truth
• Available to those who need it
• Presented in a user-friendly manner

The amount of information you need to keep depends on the building’s stage, with a strong focus on compliance with building regulations during design and construction. While it only currently applies to higher-risk buildings, it’s likely that the approach will eventually be more commonly adopted throughout the industry.

By adopting the golden thread of information now and embracing these practices, the construction industry can start to build and reinforce the positive safety culture the Act aims to instil.

An industry-wide call to action

The Building Safety Act heralds a new era in construction, one where safety is not just a legal requirement but an embedded part of the building culture. This is something that everyone in the industry must understand, including contractors and subcontractors.

Over several years, the industry has made huge strides forward in tackling issues such as duty of care and behaviours. Now it’s time to take the next step, to champion a positive safety culture and embrace behavioural competencies.

To explore how this legislation will impact your business, reshape your approach to safety and contribute to the transformation of the construction industry, visit the dedicated area on our website, The Building Safety Act Hub.