Legislation regarding building control in the UK has changed recently to ensure the health and safety of those working on the structures, as well as those using them. 

This has occurred in response to the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 when 72 people tragically died, as a result of the 24-storey block of flats in London going up in flames. While the fire was started by an electrical fault in a fridge, the building’s cladding accelerated the spread of the fire.

Consequently, the government has updated its building safety legislation to prevent similar catastrophes from occurring again in construction project management, including making changes to the registration of building inspectors. 

  • Register of building inspectors

For a start, there is now a register of registered building inspectors (RBIs) to ensure that everyone is qualified. 

This is part of the new building inspector competence framework (BICoF), which helps to structure and give credibility to the building control industry, while also providing reassurance to the public. 

  • Introduce different classes of RBIs

The government has also introduced four registration classes for RBIs, so that clients know the experience and qualifications of each building inspector.

 

Class 1

Class 1 refers to a trainee building inspector, who does not have academic or vocational qualification that is connected with the profession, or they might have accreditation but lack building control experience. Either way, they are not allowed to work without supervision until they progress to the next competency level. 

 

Class 2

Class 2 is a building inspector that can undertake some activities but is still limited. They can advise on restricted functions and have attained level four to six academic qualification or equivalent professional training. 

They must also have experience in the building control field, including conduction inspections, planning assessments, assessing safety and risk and developing inspection schedules.

 

Class 3

Class 3 is also a building inspector, but is shown to have more knowledge and experience. They should have level six academic qualification or equivalent vocational training, and can assess compliance against legislation that is relevant to building control. 

They can also assess safety and risk for a variety of building types, perform inspections, and enforce action or reversion to the council if necessary. 

 

Class 4

Class 4 is building inspector (technical manager), who is responsible for managing the entire building control. 

They manage the team, enforcement procedures, the delivery of the building control function, and make sure the building inspectors only operate within their competence levels. 

These managers have to make sure their team is compliant with the law; record any conflicts of interest; and manage the training of the other building inspectors.

The jobs the building control officers will be allowed to carry out will depend on their class level, and there will be some restrictions on what functions they can perform. 

It is down to the RBI to recognise when a task needs to be undertaken by someone with a higher competency level. 

Within the classes, there are also subject areas that building inspectors have to demonstrate, including technical, delivery, and management competence. 

There are also different levels within the competency structure, including Level A awareness, Level B appreciation, Level C understanding, and Level D comprehensive.

While it sounds complicated, the legislation is to ensure that disasters like the Grenfell Tower fire do not occur again, and all building control tasks are properly accounted for.