New regulation of the building control profession is part of the post-Grenfell shake-up of building safety.
Under the terms of the Building Safety Act 2022 all building control surveyors in England will have to be certified as registered building inspectors.
The Building Safety Competence Foundation (BSCF) and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) have been named as the first organisations to become independent competence assessors for all building control surveyors in England. The competence assessment is part of the pathway for building control professionals to become registered building inspectors.
According to the plan, more than 4,500 practicing building control professionals will need to be assessed and certified by April 2024.
The register will open in October 2023, with registration mandatory from April 2024, when building control will officially become a regulated profession.
Building control professionals, working for either the private sector or local authorities, will have to pass an independent competence assessment to operate, and they will be required to be registered on the Building Safety Regulator’s register of building inspectors.
As part of the BSR approved independent competence assessment schemes, candidates will be evaluated against the Building Inspector Competence Framework (BICoF) classes 2-4 every four years. Assessments include interviews, exams and continuous professional development.
HSE’s director of building safety, Philip White, said: “This is a pivotal moment for the building control profession. It will enable individual building control professionals to have independent recognition of their years of investment in their skills, knowledge and experience. It’s also another important step on the path to rebuilding confidence in the profession after Grenfell.
“Our advice to those working in building control is to embrace this positive and important change and to begin the process early to avoid ending up in a queue.”
CABE chief executive Gavin Dunn said: “Building control professionals have a vital role in helping to deliver buildings that are safe, sustainable, and accessible to all. CABE is delighted to be able to play its part in supporting professionals to demonstrate their competence and in developing a culture of continuous improvement that will help protect the public interest in the long term. We do not underestimate the challenge in getting the building control profession ready by the April 2024 deadline. It is a huge undertaking, and we are in constant talks with relevant organisations to make this transition as smooth as possible.”
BSCF chief executive Lorna Stimpson said: “Dame Judith Hackitt asked industry for change; she asked for a change of mindset to reprioritise safety, a change of culture and the introduction of measurable competence. Dame Judith challenged industry, and in particular building control to ‘get on with it, don’t wait to be told what to do’.
“The BSCF’s model reflects the changes Dame Judith called for and the change our communities deserve. It puts people’s safety first and holds up to scrutiny from all, including service users, senior managers and insurers. We are delighted to have received approval from the Building Safety Regulator to provide independent competence assessments for building control surveyors in England. We have been impressed by the rigour of the BSR’s process for acceptance which holds true to Dame Judith’s vision of safety above all else, and we are actively encouraging building control professionals to prove their competence and make their application for registration.”
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