British Standards Institution publishes new competence standards

28 July 2022

The British Standards Institution has published three new competence standards for roles responsible for safety management in the built environment. These include the PAS 8673, which sets out competence requirements for the management of safety in residential buildings.

The PAS 8673 had originally been intended to set out competence requirements for the Building Safety Manager role in the higher-risk regime in the Building Safety Act. The standard now sets out competence requirements for safety management in the occupation phase of a higher-risk building, against which dutyholders can assess all people performing necessary tasks in higher-risk buildings.

It can also be used to guide and assess how well dutyholders and those delegating functions to others have carried out due diligence to verify the competence of those they employ or contract. The Building Safety Act sets out requirements relating to ensuring competence, for those commissioning building work that requires regulatory sign off on any building, and not just those that are defined as higher-risk. You can request a free copy of the PAS 8673 here.

Who to speak to

Victoria Moffett, Head of Building and Fire Safety Programmes