BESA launches football themed safety campaign

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has launched an awareness campaign designed to address the substantial gaps recently revealed in the industry’s understanding of its roles and responsibilities under the Building Safety Act.

Timed to coincide with the end of the 2024 European Championships, the BESA ‘Play it Safe’ interactive guide uses football to illustrate how companies and individuals fit into the ‘team’ needed to deliver building safety and comply with the legislation.

The football comparisons are designed to make it easier for building services professionals to identify their specific roles and responsibilities, and the guide then directs them to more detailed information on the BESA Building Safety Act Hub to help them comply.

Using the different roles associated with a football club, including players, backroom staff, and club management, the BESA Play it Safe Guide highlights specific competence requirements and type of evidence for each member of the supply chain.

‘Play it Safe’ will be exclusive to BESA members before it is launched to the whole industry at the Association’s Annual Conference on 17 October at the Brewery in London.

At that point, BESA will encourage the sector to engage with the campaign so it can demonstrate not just awareness but also better understanding of the new building safety regime and how companies and individuals are gearing up to meet competence and compliance requirements.

Alongside the campaign, the Association is launching an in-depth survey of the building engineering services industry to gauge awareness of the Act and its implications. It is working with the market research specialists Barbour ABI to find out how well the sector's professionals, particularly those in senior positions, understand their roles and responsibilities and what measurable steps have been or are being taken to demonstrate compliance.

Participants will be entered into a prize draw for England footballer Rachel Daly’s Euro 2022 championship shirt worth £324.99. 

The survey closes at midnight on Friday, 30 August.

This comes hot on the heels of a survey of the wider construction sector which revealed significant knowledge gaps about duty holder responsibilities for higher risk buildings (HRBs).

The specification platform NBS found that half of its respondents were either unsure or had no idea of their responsibilities with just 12% saying they were "very clear" about what was expected of them. 44% of respondents said they were unsure or had “no idea” what steps to take to comply with the new building safety regime despite the Act coming into force in 2022.

NBS researchers said this was particularly concerning because two in three respondents already had experience of working on HRBs.

Understanding of the Golden Thread and the crucial role it plays in delivering building safety information also remains worrying low, according to the study. Just 45% of respondents said they were clear about how they would manage building information and only one in 10 had a “solid plan in place”.

“This demonstrates just why our ‘Play it Safe’ Guide is so timely,” said BESA’s director of specialist knowledge Rachel Davidson. “As well as being a practical and relatable tool, we hope it will also provide some welcome reassurance to our members and the wider industry in the face of growing concern about the implications of the legislation.

“It has been clear for some time that many building services firms were aware that the legislation existed but were unsure whether it was relevant to them – or what their responsibilities might be. This is partly because of the complexities of the Act and some confusing messages about what buildings were affected.”

She added that BESA had been working with other industry bodies and the Building Safety Regulator since the Act was launched to reinforce the message that anyone involved in a building services supply chain was subject to the legislation.

“The campaign is designed to cut through the mass of information out there to guide firms and individuals to what is directly relevant to them, including what they need to do to prove their competence, ensure compliance, and reassure their clients that they can help them comply too.

“Ultimately, this is about doing the right thing: Keeping people safe and well in buildings and driving the much-needed culture change that will transform the sector and help rebuild the industry’s reputation and trust,” said Davidson.

www.thebesa.com/play-it-safe

You may also be interested in reading a success story from our BESA member Ameon, explaining how BESA help Ameon navigate the building safety act.