Safety in Design (SiD)

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

The SiD Learning Aims and Standards have been developed by CIC, as a partner in ConstructionSkills, in conjunction with Safety in Design Limited, and supported by a steering group from industry bodies and institutions. 

SiD provides minimum standards of knowledge and competence for designers so that they can work with health and safety in mind. The SiD Learning Aims and Standards of Competence include the knowledge and competence needed to design buildings and structures that can be not only safely built, but also safely used and maintained.  These Standards have huge implications for the construction industry.

Introduction to SiD

The ‘Safety in Design’ Standards of Competence (CS) are supported by corresponding ‘Safety in Design’ Learning Aims (LA) – which are a more detailed expansion of knowledge requirements. These have been cross-related in the two documents.

In the Knowledge Evidence items in the Standards of Competence document, the italicised references (LA…) against each item refer to the corresponding items in the 3 streams of ‘Safety in Design’ Learning Aims.

In the ‘Safety in Design’ Learning Aims document, the italicised references (CS…) against each item refer to the corresponding knowledge evidence items in the 2 ‘Safety in Design’ Standards of Competence.

Sid Standards of Competence

Sid Learning Aims

Why does our industry need the SiD Learning Aims and Standards of Competence?

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (“CDM Regulations”) came into effect in April 1995. At the heart of these regulations (regulation 13) is a requirement on designers in the UK construction industry to design out hazards in order to make buildings safer to construct, maintain and demolish. Clients of the construction industry are required to ensure that any designer they use is competent in this regard. However, until now there have not been any standards or benchmarked methods by which a designer can demonstrate competence.

How to use and implement SiD

CIC and SiD Ltd are keen for the Learning Aims and Competence Standards to be used as widely as possible throughout the construction industry and construction related education and training.

It cannot be emphasised enough that designers have a duty both ethically and legally to design in a way which minimises risks in relation to health and safety both on site and during the use and maintenance of the built environment. Whilst emphasising this duty, CIC is not looking to force the industry to adopt SiD in a particular way. However, we do urge all those whose role involves designing or influencing the skills and competence of designers within our industry, to consider adopting the SiD Learning Aims and Competence Standards as minimum benchmarks of knowledge and ability.

We hope that individuals and organisations will feel able to address the Learning Aims and Competence Standards in their entirety. However we realise that this might not always be possible and therefore would rather see elements of the Learning Aims or Competence Standards adopted where that is all that can be achieved.

Suggested routes for implementing the SiD Learning Aims (the knowledge benchmarks) and Standards of Competence (the competence benchmarks) include:

• Inclusion in existing education, training and CPD programmes
• New training and CPD programmes
• Inclusion in Institutions’ membership and CPD requirements
• Incorporation into CSCS
• A VRQ (Vocational Related Qualification) covering the Standards of Competence
• Inclusion of the Standards of Competence in NVQ/SVQs that are reviewed or developed in future

For further information or guidance on adopting the SiD Learning Aims and Standards of Competence please contact David Cracknell email: dcracknell@cic.org.uk