Alan elaborates on how the new CFA Competence Guide supports contractor members in three key areas required under the Building Safety Act 2022
AT the Construction Products Association (CPA) autumn lunch in November, I was struck by how much the conversation in the room still centred on the Building Safety Act, the construction industry’s on-going adjustment to the new regime and, importantly, overcoming the practical challenges still being posed by Gateway Two. This requires approval from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) for work on high-risk buildings to begin.
This, of course, has its origins in the Grenfell tragedy and Dame Judith Hackett’s call for the construction industry to improve competence across the board, which is now translated into law and regulations.
This has created challenges for planning applications, but things have improved since the Act came into force, and thank goodness they are because we all need a strong, reliable and consistent pipeline of work.
Despite the progress made, we’re still coming to terms with navigating a system designed to improve safety and competence while trying to ensure it doesn’t hinder delivery. With the arrival of the new management team leading the Building Safety Regulator (Andy Roe as non-executive chair and Charlie Pugsley as chief executive), there is a genuine sense of a reset and renewed focus. Their experience with the London Fire Brigade brings operational understanding, urgency and pragmatism. However, the industry’s message to them remains consistent: We need clarity, consistency and collaboration if we are to build safely, efficiently, competently and at the pace the country needs.
This is where trade bodies like the CFA have a critical role. We are the voice of our members, bringing real-world site experience into national conversations and ensuring that flooring is properly understood by those setting the wider safety agenda.
Our new Competence Guide supports contractor members in three key areas required under the Building Safety Act 2022: Installer competence, technical competence and organisational competence. Apart from assisting with compliance, it directly supports one of my overarching aims as president, to promote best practice within the flooring industry.
The guide offers both immediate actions contractors should implement now and a long-term roadmap for staying compliant as expectations continue to evolve. The early sections give members a clear and accessible language for discussing competence for tendering, pre-construction meetings and audit processes, but it’s Section 5, our practical action section, which I believe contractors will return to repeatedly. It breaks competence down into manageable components, offering real-world guidance that helps businesses of all sizes prepare for what is already a fast-moving regulatory environment.
The challenges facing flooring contractors today, including programming pressure, regulatory change, evolving safety expectations and difficult site conditions cannot be solved in isolation; they require collective representation, strong technical guidance and industry-led resources that underpin professionalism. That’s exactly what the CFA is here to provide. If you’re already a CFA member, this new guide is yet another reason to take advantage of the benefits, engage with us and use the tools we’ve created to strengthen your business.
And if you’re not yet a member, I’ll say this plainly: Now is the time to join us. The more united our voice, the stronger our influence and the better positioned our industry will be to tackle the challenges ahead.
Together, we can raise standards, improve site conditions, evidence competence and help ensure that flooring contractors get the recognition, respect and fair treatment they deserve.
0115 941 1126
info@cfa.org.uk
www.cfa.org.uk