The official launch of a new Standard for building safety has been held recently at the House of Lords at an event hosted by his Lordship the Earl of Lindsay. IED Trustees, Simon Vaitkevicius and Neil Phelps, attended the launch in their roles as Group B representatives on the EC Board.

The new UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence and Commitment contextualised for Higher-Risk Buildings (UK-SPEC HRB) has been developed by the Engineering Council in response to recommendations made in Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety, ‘Building a Safer Future’, which was commissioned by the UK Government in the aftermath of the tragic Grenfell Tower Fire in 2017.

UK-SPEC HRB was developed, in collaboration with professional engineering institutions and expert volunteers, to assess the competence and commitment of individual engineers and technicians working on higher-risk buildings in the UK. Based on the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence and Commitment (UK-SPEC) the new Standard is tailored for engineers and technicians working in the built environment, particularly on the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of higher-risk buildings.

It incorporates the criteria from BS 8670 and sets out a sector-specific competence framework consisting of a core document and Discipline Annexes. Demonstrating competence could involve registration against the core framework only, or a combination of the Discipline Annexes: Fire Engineering, Structural Engineering, Building Services Engineering and Facade Engineering.

As the keynote speaker, Dame Judith highlighted why it is important to have assured competence of those working on higher-risk buildings and that this must be centred on professionalism: “people who will uphold high standards of professional conduct themselves and call out those who undermine that in any way”. Dame Judith also emphasised that this launch is very much the end of the beginning of the process. The real work now is for engineering institutions to promote the new Standard with their members and strongly encourage people to go through the process. She stressed that wider industry must be informed about the new Standard and the benefits of being able to prove that buildings have been designed and constructed by demonstrably competent people.

A welcome and overview of the importance of regulation was given by Lord Lindsay, Chair of the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS), followed by an address by Prof John Chudley, Chair of the Engineering Council in which he described UK-SPEC HRB as a framework that reinforces professional accountability with public safety at its core. A speech was also delivered by Sandra Ashcroft on behalf of the Building Safety Regulator, who welcomed the new Standards as an invaluable tool for identifying and engaging truly competent professionals who can meet the stringent safety requirements of HRBs.

Trustees and staff from the Engineering Council were pleased to join with representatives from the professional engineering community to celebrate this milestone in working towards improved public safety.

Engineering Council CEO, Paul Bailey, said: “We are very proud to be launching this new Standard today which presents a significant milestone in our continuing work with the professional engineering community to ensure public safety in the built environment. We hope the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire and the sad loss of 72 lives will never be seen again. UK-SPEC HRB will provide a means for those engineers and technicians working in the built environment, particularly on the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of higher-risk buildings, to become professionally registered. This is the first step however and it is our hope that UK-SPEC HRB is embraced and championed by the sector and the wider engineering profession, and that the Standard, and the Register of those individuals assessed against it, will support the continuing improvement of public safety across the sector”.

CEO of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE), Richard Harral, said: “The launch of this new registration scheme for engineers working on HRBs represents a step change through career competence management. By providing a tailored approach to assessing competence for all major roles within design and project teams, from technician to Chartered Engineer, the HRB Register will incentivise investment in the lifelong learning necessary to ensure engineers are competent and that buildings remain safe throughout their life.”

The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) CEO, Steve Hamm, said: “The IFE is proud to support the launch of the Fire Discipline Annex to the UK-SPEC HRB. This marks a significant milestone in maintaining the highest standards of professional competence within the built environment, reflecting the growing complexity and scrutiny associated with higher-risk buildings. Fire engineering plays a crucial role across all sectors, and this annex offers a clear framework for practitioners to demonstrate their capability in line with the Building Safety Act. As the professional engineering institution licensed to assess against this Standard, we remain committed to upholding public safety and promoting excellence across the profession, working alongside the Engineering Council and other institutions to contribute to safer, better-managed buildings.”

Ruth Carter, CEO of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), commented: “CIBSE fully supports the launch of the UK-SPEC HRB as a vital step in strengthening competence across higher-risk buildings. This Standard sets out clear, essential safety criteria – covering fire, structural integrity and public health – helping to ensure engineers are equipped to meet the highest professional standards. We look forward to working with the Engineering Council and fellow institutions to raise awareness and drive uptake of HRB registration across the sector.”

Séan Harris, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Deputy Director General and Director of Membership, said: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy reinforced the infrastructure sector’s role in understanding and managing safety risks. Earlier this year, the Institution of Civil Engineer and the Institution of Structural Engineers launched the registration process for the Higher-Risk Buildings Register, which is owned by the Engineering Council as part of the new UK-SPEC HRB. The ICE is proud to be working with partners like IStructE and the Engineering Council to manage this essential register, which will increase transparency of the design and maintenance of higher-risk buildings. This is positive progress, but there’s no room for complacency. As an institution we are committed to delivering lifelong learning and ensuring there are competent professionals to deliver the work society needs.”

Yasmin Becker, CEO of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) said: “Professional competence and high standards are essential for structural safety, and therefore the UK-SPEC HRB is an important Standard which we wholeheartedly support. It clarifies the competences and the commitments of engineering professionals working on higher-risk buildings (HRBs). We are pleased to have worked with the Engineering Council and Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the development of this Standard and a new competency Register for professionally qualified structural and civil engineers who wish to demonstrate their competence in working on HRBs. We look forward to working with the Engineering Council and ICE to develop the Register and support clients and the wider public to identify competent professionals in this critical specialism.”

With the Government’s commitment to building 1.5 million homes over this Parliament which are of high quality, and safe now and in the future, we believe our HRB Register and UK-SPEC HRB is a key example of how this ambition can be achieved through a pipeline of suitably qualified professionals for the housing and construction market with the right skills. We welcome the professional engineers who have already achieved registration, and we are committed to building on this momentum.

Please click here to view or download the UK-SPEC HRB.