ILC ARTICLE

CPA calls for single competency standard

20th September 2022

A new white paper has been published highlighting the need for a single standard to determine and recognise construction product competence.

Produced by the Competence Steering Group, led by the Construction Products Association, the new paper, ‘Built environment – proposed construction product competence standard – white paper,’ is a response to the Grenfell Tower fire and subsequent concerns raised in Dame Judith Hackitt’s report ‘Building a Safer Future.’

It says that the misuse of construction products can be potentially fatal but there is no universal way for individuals to prove competence. As such, it is calling for a radial change to ensure that anyone who supplies or works with construction products is properly trained and assessed.

The paper is proposing five core levels of competence tailored to suit each sector, offering a clear path through each level to help businesses measure training and qualifications within their workforce.

Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, said: “Our industry needs to take responsibility for competence and work in a non-siloed manner. Now the Building Safety Act is making clear that regulators will no longer tolerate an industry that does not evidence its competence. The CPC levels have been designed to provide a single framework for everyone to work to, and I would urge the industry to read this white paper and get involved in testing it together.”

CPA will now host a series of webinars to further explain the proposals to those working within manufacturing, design, contracting, operations and maintenance, and merchants/distributors. The first is aimed at manufacturers and will take place on Wednesday, 27 September.