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The case for certification
The case for certifi cation
Certifi cation recognises the role played by competent tradespeople, but more needs to be done to promote the concept to certifi ers and the wider public
By Bill Dodds
The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 introduced the concept of certification for work requiring a building warrant. Ministers can appoint competent, qualified and experienced building professionals and tradespeople as approved certifiers to certify that parts of the design or construction comply with the Scottish building regulations.
Certification recognises the important role that competent people play in the construction industry and provides a vehicle to streamline and speed up the building warrant and completion certificate process.
An approved certifier has been assessed as competent to certify their own work. This means there is no need for the local authority to scrutinise the certified design or inspect the certified building work, so they only have to check that the certifier is appropriately registered. Using an approved certifier also attracts a discount on the building warrant fee.
All certified work is covered by insurance and scheme providers have procedures in place to carry out audits of certifiers and to handle any complaints arising from certified projects. Certsure, trading as NICEIC, is one of two scheme providers for the certification of construction (electrical installations to BS 7671) scheme.
Registration mark
A Scottish Government approved certifier registration mark has been developed for use by all registered approved certifiers, helping to raise the profile of certification. The registration mark helps members of the public easily identify and employ tradespeople and building professionals who are recognised as being experienced, well qualified and competent by the Scottish Government. It also gives assurance to customers that the work undertaken will comply with building regulations.
In March 2014, 100 representatives from across the construction industry met at Edinburgh Castle. The purpose of the event was to launch the updated certification register and to kickstart a conversation with industry on how to further improve building standards certification in Scotland.
Derek Mackay, the minister for local government and planning, gave the keynote address and said: “I am convinced of the need to have strong building standards certification. It recognises the role competent people play in the construction industry and provides a vehicle to cut through red tape and avoid duplication of work in terms of design and construction.
“We all want a certification system in Scotland that is fit for purpose and is considered the ‘norm’,” he added. “It is important we all work together to take certification forward. Only then will we be able to leave a strong and coherent legacy to keep the people of Scotland safe within our built environment.”
Future vision
At the event, the minister tasked the Scottish Government’s Building Standards Division with convening a workshop in the autumn to advise on a “future vision and strategy for building standards certification in Scotland”.
The cross-industry workshop was held in Edinburgh on 24 September 2014 and included 22 delegates from local authority building standards,
> Bill Dodds: “The use of recognised and approved competent people will drive up standards”
all scheme providers, the wider construction industry, the Association of British Insurers, the Health and Safety Executive and consumer groups.
The four main topics considered at the workshop were: • Equivalence of the certified and non-certified routes to compliance; • Incentives to encourage the uptake of certification by end users; • Value of using certifiers for all work; • Promoting and raising awareness of certification.
The workshop topics and discussions were supported by four research projects commissioned by the Scottish Government: • Review the current building standards fee structure and future requirements; • Investigation of compliance levels with the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (including schedule 3); • Improve and raise awareness of certification in Scotland; • A study of the level of checking of structural design.
Reports for each of these projects can be found in the research section at http://scotland.gov.uk/bsd.
Following this workshop, a similar report into the level of checking of electrical installations to BS 7671 was published in December. The aim was to consider in terms of “public interest” if there was a gap between the robustness of certified electrical installations and equivalent non-certified (verified) electrical installations.
While the research concluded that there was no evidence that the end products of certified and non-certified approaches were diff erent, it identified clear diff erences in the approaches, processes and competence. Recommendations on how to better align the approaches can be found in the research report. The final report from the certification workshop is expected to be published in 2015.
The Scottish Government has recently been working in partnership with all scheme providers and Local Authority Building Standards Scotland, delivering roadshows around Scotland to help promote and raise awareness of building standards certification. These roadshows have been well attended, attracting more than 200 delegates.
The uptake of building standards certification has been successful but more needs to be done to help promote certification and make it more accessible and attractive to the certifiers of the future and to end users.
Ultimately, the use of recognised and approved competent people will drive up standards and improve compliance with building regulations.
It is vital that we continue to work in partnership to achieve our common goals and deliver safe and sustainable buildings for our communities for many years to come.
» Bill Dodds is head of the Building Standards Division at the Scottish Government
