Speaking at the launch in the House of Commons of a new clients’ guide to the Building Safety Act produced by the Building Engineering Services Association(BESA), Apps said it was hard to assess if the industry had really changed since the 2017 fire that claimed 72 lives.

“I do see some cultural change…organisations who have taken safety incredibly seriously. They’ve seen that the requirement post-Grenfell isn’t just to talk about what needs to be done, they’ve actually made changes, but there are many who say things haven’t really changed at all.

“Those in a safety critical role don’t always feel they can speak out. This is often due to clients not thinking about the people who will use their buildings…they are thinking about profit. This starts at the top and goes down through the [supply] chain.”

Apps described one project where a management consultant warned a client to change the scope of work or increase the budget for transfer slabs – an area recently highlighted as a particular safety risk by the Building Safety Regulator – but was ignored and told to rewrite their advice.

Reputation
“Construction has a bad reputation, but it shouldn’t because it is a great industry that we all rely on for housing, education and health,” added Apps. “Working in construction is something everyone should be proud of...so I really hope the BESA guide can make a difference and help bring about real change.”

BESA chief executive officer David Frise also pointed out that the choices made by clients had major social implications.

“The decisions they make affect all of our lives because we spend 90% of our time inside the buildings they procure…but still many say the responsibilities outlined in the Act ‘don’t apply to us’.”

He thanked the Association’s Building Safety Act advisory board led by director of specialist knowledge Rachel Davidson for creating the guide and stressed that, while it was a BESA document, it was produced in collaboration with eight industry partner organisations and represented “the industry coming together” to bring about much-needed reform.

BESA’s Client’s Guide to the Building Safety Act addresses ongoing concerns that many clients are still basing procurement decisions primarily on cost and speed of delivery and are often unaware of their legislative responsibilities and that they have serious liabilities in this area.

It clearly sets out clients’ legal duties and why they can’t ignore or delegate these responsibilities to their supply chains. It also emphasises their leadership role in the industry transformation needed to keep all building occupants safe and protect their long-term health and well-being. It reiterates the message that the new building safety regime applies to ALL buildings, not just higher risk (HRB) or high-rise residential developments.

The guide also boils down the complexity of the legislation into simplified guidance using plain English and avoiding the overload of information that can lead to important messages being misunderstood or ignored.

Jon Vanstone, chair of the Building Safety Regulator’s Industry Competence Committee (ICC), told the launch event that the Act had set much clearer expectations of clients and BESA’s guide simplified these and made them explicit.

“Clients don’t just fund projects; they set the pace, set the priorities. Projects are made by clients. Their agenda dictates the project,” he added.

He also urged clients to focus on the likely outcomes of the decisions they make early in the process. “Systems don’t fail at the end; they fail at the beginning…and no amount of checking later can change a poor start.”

Another key contributor to the guidance Lilly Gallafent, CEO of the real estate consultancy Cast, said the BESA document was a timely reminder to clients of the need to take a long-term view.

Culture
“Change needs to start with clients,” she said. “Whilst many already do, clients all need to recognise that they have the power to drive a new culture through their supply chains, but they need to be willing to allocate risk fairly and focus on how their decisions will affect the operational life of their buildings.”

She said the industry was now recovering from the “car crash” start to the implementation of the legislation which was so opaque that everyone struggled to understand their responsibilities.

“We now have a game changing environment for designing and delivering projects,” she said. “[Planning] Gateway 3 will also increase the focus on technical assurance and the need for certainty…with responsible clients doing what the Act expects and building exactly what they say they will build.”

Gallafent added that the Act would bring the industry closer to its Holy Grail: “Build the right things, make some money, and go home.”

Download the BESA Client’s Guide to the Building Safety Act for free.