Health and Safety

The CIC Health and Safety Committee (HSC) provides a forum for health and safety representatives from CIC’s members to meet, shape policy, discuss industry initiatives and develop responses on behalf of CIC. Membership of the panel includes the major chartered institutions, BISRIA, NHBC, the Construction Confederation and HSE. CIC was represented on the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) by Tim Gough (RIBA) and a successor ia expected to be appointed shortly.

The Panel regularly takes part in consultations on behalf of CIC such as the recent HSE consultation Working at Height. In 2003 the HSC contributed to the HSE’s industry review document Revitalising Construction, and earlier this year the HSC provided feedback for the National Audit Office report on the HSE.

After several years of service to the HSC Gillian Birkby is standing down as chairman. The HSC will be chaired by Greg Brown, principal consultant with Human Technology Systems Ltd based in Cambridge. Gillian and Greg are both involved with the task group working on the recasting of the CDM Regulations.

Greg is a founder member of Safety in Design (SiD), a not for profit company set up specifically to achieve the establishment of industry owned and accredited knowledge and competence benchmarks for designers. One of CIC’s first projects as a partner in ConstructionSkills is progressing the SiD initiative (this relates to ConstructionSkills Strategic Objective Three – Qualifying the Workforce and Continuing Development).

The HSC is overseeing progress on SiD in conjunction with the CIC training and CPD panels. The HSC is also working with the Lifelong Learning team at CIC on the Common Learning Outcomes programme. Professional, course leaders and industry representatives are working together to develop the content of courses. The HSC’s aim is to make health and safety a core element to teaching.

Guidance Notes for Designers

HSC members in conjunction with the HSE and SiD have produced web based guidance notes for designers. Project partners include APS, CIOB, ICE, IStructE, RICS and the RIBA. The guidance notes were trialled with industry before their launch in November 2003.

The guidance notes can be found on the SiD web site www.safetyindesign.org Topics covered include hazardous materials, asbestos and musculo skeletal problems. The guidance notes are web based so that they can be easily updated and new topics swiftly added.

The HSC will continue to address health and safety issues as they relate to professionals and work to improve awareness of health and safety across the construction industry.

Safety in Design (SiD)

CIC -ConstructionSkills has launched SiD – a major new health and safety initiative for designers. Read more

CIC Response to HSC Consultative Document 200 on the revision of the Construction (Design and Management) regulations 1994

Read the CIC’s submission to the above Health and Safety Commission Consultative Document on the proposed CDM Regulations 2006